Sora's Epic Journey
by Jomatto
Summary: My journey is long and perilous, fraught with generic plots, poor characterization, and tired cliches. You're the only one I can count on. Help me out here!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

My name is Sora.

You see what I did there?

All I did was tell you my name, but that's all I need to say for you to know what I look like. We never even met before and I'm not a celebrity, not to mention, there are tons of people named Sora, but that doesn't matter now, does it?

Why should I even bother describing myself? You already know how I look. I got brown hair and blue eyes. The range varies; it could be brunet, warm, or chocolate, and my eyes are often compared to the skies, the sea, sapphire gems, or other shades of blue.

It's always the hair and eyes.

Why nothing else?

I have a nice nose too. It's aligned correctly, symmetrical, and placed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. My cheeks are a little round, babyish, but given time, they'll look sharp. I won't be chiseled by any stretch of the imagination; my features are far too soft for that, and I won't grow a beard and I don't have scars, which means the hyper masculine look is out of reach for me, but that's okay, because I have a boyish face. I'll probably be carded well into my thirties. My complexion is invariably tanned, sun-kissed, and darker than pale. I don't consider myself handsome though, nor am I ugly. I'll leave that determination up to you.

My mouth is my best feature. It allows me to wield my trademark weapon: the cheesy grin. It's not a full curve with pointed corners—it's a rounded rectangle, a full display of teeth, with a slight skew of mirth. It's playful, disarming, and charming.

But you already know all that.

It's the only thing that stays constant about me. I can't give you my age, my last name, my shoe size, what I'm wearing right now, or my social security number, because it never stays the same. Feel free to imagine whatever you like.

As long as I'm not naked.

So what is this about? What exactly is going on here? And why am I talking to you right now? Well…

That's because I need your help.

The fact that I can't recall my background, my past, or my clothes is of rather large concern to me. It's not for lack of memory, because I have plenty of those, the problem is, I don't know which one is real.

I suppose I should back up a little bit.

I have the God Quill.

It's quite a magnificent little thing. It's a feather with a pointed tip. You dip the tip in ink and write to your heart's content. But this isn't any old quill; it's the _God_ _Quill_, the very thing that creation itself uses to create _creation_.

Whatever I write.

Becomes reality.

It sounds great on paper but…

Ever read the _Monkey's Paw_?

Things never go as you'd expect.

I now find myself in a literal existential crisis. I just want to return to my original life, but the problem with that is…

I forgot which one it is.

When you've reshaped reality, recreated the world, and rewritten everything as many times as I have, you tend to lose track of things. It's not like writing down "_everything returned to normal_" will work either, believe me, I've tried. It seems like my only solution is to do things the hard way:

To go through every story I ever wrote and see if I can reach the ending.

This is where you come in.

Believe it or not, you're also the only other constant besides me. You've stayed the same throughout countless tales. I have come in many forms, in many permutations, and many varieties, but you have always remained as you are, reading over every word, absorbing every detail, and worrying about my every move.

You're my greatest supporter, aren't you?

Before me is every story I ever wrote. Some of them are bad, and some of them are good, but one of them must be my true home. I don't know how long it'll take or how long you're willing to stick with me, but let's set off on this journey together.

Maybe, with the both of us, we can find the perfect story for me.

Thank you for reading.


	2. All Great Stories Start in Bed

**All Great Stories Start in Bed**

Waking up is messy.

It's never clean. Why can't I just open my eyes and skip past the struggle of waking up?

Instead, I go through the chaos of transition. Body and mind are out of sync, dreams fool us as reality, and reality fools us as dreams. I can feel my body under the covers, hear the air rush out from the vacuum of sleep, and taste my nasty morning breath, but when I finally open my eyes, I see an unfamiliar ceiling.

Where am I?

"_Mmmmm..._" a voice purrs.

It's not mine.

It sounds feminine, like a girl stirring herself awake.

I realize that I'm wearing nothing but boxers under the covers. The texture of the blanket against my skin feels nice. I turn to my right and see a girl's bare back facing me.

Oh...

So it's _that_ kind of story. Did I just jump into one of my fantasies?

Short raven locks spill over, barely grazing her shoulders, and pool against the pillow. Her back is smooth, creamy, and svelte, I just want to reach out and touch it.

So I do.

I run my finger across, tracing the path of her spine, causing her to involuntarily shudder.

That was fun. I wonder...

How many times have I woken up in bed with an attractive half-naked stranger? Do you remember the last time something like this happened? How did that turn out? What kind of hackneyed plot did I come up with here?

I grab the girl's shoulder and pull. Her body twists slightly, but not enough. I kick off the covers and sit up to get a better angle. That's when I notice how small the mattress is. For some reason, she seemed so far away when I woke up, but she's right in front of me. I probably could've licked her neck if I wanted to—not that I would.

I scan the room and immediately determine that its mine, but I might be too superficial with my analysis. Just because there's no pink, stuffed dolls, fancy lace or embroidery doesn't mean that this room doesn't belong to a girl, but if it does, she has a rather Spartan decorative sense. Plain furniture fill in the corners of the room and a LCD screen and gaming console sit against wall. The place isn't messy. There are no mounds of dirty laundry lying around.

I turn to my naked bedmate—although I have no idea if she's really naked since the covers are strategically tucked over her chest—and peer over her shoulder to see her face. She has a tender, calm, and blissful expression. Her mouth is parted slightly, breathing in and exhaling steadily. Her long eyelashes flutter with a feather's touch, dancing to the tune of pleasant dreams beneath her eyelids. She looks no older than a high school student.

I know her.

She's Xion.

But that's all I know. I don't know her personality, her relation to me, or any other details. I just know that her name is Xion. Does that name ring any bells for you? You're in the same boat as me, yeah? You know everything about her appearance except for the most important thing—who the hell is she?

Her eyes open and she catches me peeking at her.

I freeze. Is this the part where I get punched?

She suddenly smiles, catching me off guard. She's extremely happy to see me, as if I'm the best damn thing she's seen all day—and it just barely started. She sits up, using one hand to support herself while using the other to hide her chest with the covers.

We already woke up naked in the same bed; a little late for modesty don't you think?

She brushes my chin with her dainty finger tips and leads my face towards hers.

"_Sora_," she whispers huskily.

I have no idea what's going on but er...who cares?

"XION, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" a loud voice shrieks.

Hands grip my shoulders and I get pulled away. I fall backwards and my head lands on the edge of the mattress.

Black. That's a bold color.

My eyes move up higher to be greeted with another familiar face.

Yuffie.

Wide brown eyes stare at me with worry. "Are you okay?" she asks. She doesn't seem to notice that I saw her panties. Another cute girl with short dark hair…must be my preference. I reorient myself to get a better look at her. She's wearing a school uniform, a white blouse with a blazer. A plaid skirt cut a couple inches short of decency covers her lower half. Despite her boyish cut, she is very pretty. Her collar isn't buttoned up the whole way, exposing tantalizing flesh around her clavicle. Pink lips are pursed with worry and her cheeks are dimpled in, as if she's sucking in her mouth. Her eyes train on the person behind me. "Get out of this room right now!" she orders.

I turn around.

"No," Xion replies, sticking out her tongue.

Yuffie narrows her eyes in irritation, leaps into bed, and grabs Xion with both arms. In an impressive display of strength, athleticism, and technique, she rolls up the small girl in blankets, lifts her up, and slings her over the shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Bound and trapped by my bed covers, Xion can only protest with her voice. "Let me go!"

Yuffie ignores the smaller girl's pleas and shoots me an exasperated look. "Were you actually going to kiss her? That's indecent! You two are siblings!"

Wait.

What?

Xion's my sister?

"You're just jealous Yuffie! He's just finally realized his true feelings for me!"

Yuffie flashes me a furious look. "Is she serious?"

"Wait." I stick out my palm to freeze the situation. "How would I normally react here?"

The girls look at each other. "You kick her out of bed!" "You give me a morning kiss!" They lock gazes again. "**Don't believe her, she's lying!**" they chorus.

One normally trusts family over friends, but they're both strangers to me. Let's try to clarify the relationships here. "Xion, are you my sister?"

She bows her head meekly. "What does it matter if we are? It's not like we're related by blood. Besides, even if we were, there's nothing wrong with a brother giving his sister a little kiss," she answers innocently.

"First of all, there's nothing _little_ about your kisses, and second of all, there is something definitely wrong when a sister like you tries to kiss her brother!" Yuffie yells in response.

Xion puffs her cheeks in frustration. "You're just jealous because I have Sora all to myself."

Yuffie's face turns red. "W-what? Jealous? I've known him longer than you have! We've been friends since we were in diapers!"

"We have?" I cut in.

She turns to me and glares. I'll take that as a yes.

"I'll take care of her now. You just worry about getting dressed and ready for school," she commands. Yuffie spins on her heels and marches out with my apparent _stepsister _in tow.

"Big brother, help me!" she wails.

"Be quiet, it's time we give your precious _brother_ some privacy."

"Soraaa!"

I just sit there and watch as Yuffie leaves with a kicking and screaming Xion, rolled up like a blanket burrito, on her shoulder. The door to my room closes with a definitive **slam!**

"I'll see you outside soon! We have to leave early or we'll be late to school," Yuffie informs.

I look down at myself. Oh yeah, I forgot—I'm still in my boxers.

Great.

This is why I hate first-person perspectives. I don't have that convenient narrator to tell me everything I need to know. Judging from that stupid grin on your face, I'm pretty sure you don't either. Laugh it up while you still can.

I walk over to my closet and check what kind of clothes I have. It's a standard wardrobe for a male high school student. Glad there aren't any dresses in here. That would bring up some uncomfortable questions. I pull out a blazer, white shirt, tie, and dark trousers. After I put on the uniform, I poke around my room for any clues about myself. I pull out a drawer and find my wallet.

Bingo.

A wallet is the first step in self-investigation. I unfold it and pull out my school ID. My name is Sora Hikari—no surprise there, except for my surname. So I'm a Hikari this time, huh? According to this, I go to Destiny High School. Not exactly the most creative name for a school, but it's pretty important information. It means I'm in Destiny Islands. For the last piece of info, I'm a sophomore. I tuck my school ID back in my wallet and check for anything else.

Nothing. Not even one munny.

I close the wallet and stuff it in my pocket. I walk over to my bedroom door and peek out into the hallway. No crazy girls around. I step out and do a quick search for the bathroom.

Found it.

I shuffle in and close the door behind me. I stand in front of the mirror mounted above the sink and observe my reflection. I look young. If I'm a sophomore, I'm probably fifteen years old. My hair is as wild as ever with a shade of chocolate delight. My eyesight is 20/20 and I don't need glasses. I largely resemble myself with little to no alteration, but you'll never know when a minor detail might rear its ugly head. I open mouth and check my teeth.

Good.

I'm not a vampire—don't ask me about it.

I jump up and down and flex my arms. I don't seem to possess any super powers or special abilities, except for the one where I can call upon my God Quill at any moment.

That's right. I didn't mention that.

One of the special features of being author of the universe is the ability to call forth my God Quill at any time I want.

It's time to get down to business.

I summon my God Quill and it appears in my right hand with a flurry of magical sparks and energy petals. In my left hand, I summon my ink bottle which, considering its inky nature, shows up in a swirl of shadows.

Explanation time, so listen carefully.

When it comes to artifacts with immense reality-altering powers, there's always got to be a catch. You can't have the entire universe imploding on itself, so there are certain rules to prevent reality from slipping into complete chaos. I don't know what these rules are. All I know is that they're completely arbitrary and get enforced at totally random times with no consistency. I hope this explanation will cover up any plot holes that typically come with the territory of wish-granting storylines, so if you catch one, blame it on the God Quill's finickyness.

The God Quill is limited by how much ink I have. Obviously, I can't walk into a store and buy regular old ink. With an instrument as powerful as the God Quill, it has to use a special kind of mystical ink, and of course, this rare mystical ink is in short supply.

This is where you come in. You have the ability to fill up my ink bottle. I don't know how you do it, but it just happens. On the bottle, there are notches to tell me how much ink I have. Each notch is good enough for one full page. Right now, it's up to...a whole lot of notches. Wow. Didn't expect this much already. So what do I need the ink for?

Let me tell you about my mission first. I'm trying to find the original story of my life. It's an extremely difficult task, given how many stories I wrote, but there's one thing about my original story that's different from all my other ones: it has no ending.

Just like real life.

The only way I can escape from a story I wrote is when it ends. So what happens if I encounter an incomplete story? Everything in the world stops. That's where the God Quill comes in. With it, I can write an ending and escape. I can't write an ending unless I have ink, and depending on how much ink I have, that ending can be rather abrupt or drawn out.

I'm relying on you to get me some more ink, okay?

But if the story already has an ending, it's just a matter of time before I reach it. If I can predict the ending, that'll makes things go much quicker. The faster I reach the end, the faster I can get out of here.

Although it's possible that this world is my original home, somehow, I doubt it. Aside from the ludicrous circumstances, the chances I find my home on the first try is one in a cosmic infinity.

**BAP BAP BAP**

"What's taking you so long? Get your butt out here already!" Yuffie shouts. "If you don't, we'll leave without you!"

How polite.

I can't get past how pushy she sounds. Was this acceptable for _this_ Sora?

I guess I should tell you about my character. It used to be that the God Quill could override my mind and make me smart, stupid, smooth, or dense at the stroke of a feather, depending on the story, but rewriting my brain so many times has desensitized me, and now my brain is impervious to rewrites. It's no wonder I can't recall my first life. Whether I like it or not, this is my permanent personality.

This might be a problem since, in order for these stories to work, I have to act a certain way. If I'm a total idiot in one story and that's the only way I can reach the ending, then it just means I'm going to have to act like an idiot for awhile. If I don't follow the script exactly, things can get a little crazy. Just chalk it up to the God Quill's funky rules, hell if I can figure it out.

I look down at the sink and see a cup with four toothbrushes. Crap. Which one is mine? I taste my mouth again. Ugh. I don't think it matters. I pick up a random one, squeeze out some tooth paste, and start brushing my teeth. The door to the bathroom suddenly opens, revealing Xion in all of her school-uniformed splendor.

"Ah!" she squeaks. "You're using my toothbrush!"

Oops. I pull it out of my mouth but she waves her hand.

"Ah no, that's fine! It's okay! Keep brushing," she giggles. She's definitely an odd one. "Yuffie and I are going to leave first. She says you're taking too long. School starts in fifteen minutes, so you better catch up fast!" She winks and closes the door.

Wait a minute; I don't even know where the school is! I spit into the sink and rush out the bathroom but she's already gone. Damn it. I go back and rinse my mouth before running into my room. What do I need? There should be a backpack, bag, satchel, or suitcase. Where is it? My eyes go to all the hotspots: next to my desk, under the bed, in the closet...nothing. I suspend my search when I see a laptop sitting on the desk. I could use it to find my way to school. I open it and the log-in screen appears.

Come on!

I don't know my password!

I check my pockets again. Do I have a phone? I open my drawers carelessly and rifle through them. My search turns up empty. I don't have a lot of time. Forget it; I have my wallet. That should be enough to bail me out of any trouble. I just hope they didn't get too far. I leave the room and end up running towards the wrong end of the hallway. I go to the opposite end and find the staircase. My steps roll down until I reach the bottom.

I'm not alone.

"The girls already left ahead of you," a strange woman in the kitchen tells me. Her back is towards me. Long brunette hair tied in a ponytail cascade down her back. She's wearing an apron over a flower-patterned long dress.

I'm going to go off on a limb here and guess, "Mom?"

She turns around from the sink and gives me a curious look. "Yes?"

Fantastic. Even my mom changes from story to story. "Do you know the way to school?"

She touches her chin daintily and stares at the ceiling. "Do I…?" Is she an airhead? "You should ask Yuffie," she answers, smiling gently at me. That doesn't help!

"But Yuffie's already gone," I retort.

"Ah…that's right. Silly me!" Are you kidding me? Remind me not to rely on my mom for anything plot-related from now on, it's clear she's a support character—then again, she can't even do _that_ right. "I'm just glad we live next door to Yuffie. She's always looking out for you, isn't she?"

Amazing. Information volunteered without poking or prodding. "Are we childhood friends?"

"Yup!" I love throwaway expositional dialogue, saves me the trouble of having to ask questions. I just hope everybody else is as eager to volunteer information.

I cut the conversation short and exit the house. "See ya mom!" I can't lose track of them or I'll be lost!

"Bye son!"

I run through my front yawn and look down both sides of the street. Crap. Not a single head of raven hair in sight. Left or right?

LEFT!

I start running down that direction with no real idea of where I'm going. As I run down the block, I soak in more of the setting. The neighborhood is very suburban with quaint homes and well-trimmed lawns. Off in the distance, I can see Destiny Islands' iconic palm trees dot the horizon. The cars don't look too old or futuristic, so I can safely rule out old-school and sci-fi as possible genres. Everything is completely normal—although I'm not sure what "normal" would be for me.

"**OOMPH**!" I should pay more attention to my surroundings. My impact into an unknown obstacle sends me flying and spinning in the air. My world turns blurry and my head starts throbbing painfully. When my eyesight regains functionality, all I can see are stripes.

"Watch where you're going, jerk!" Stripes? I finally notice—they're panties. I look up and see an angry redhead. Fiery auburn strands hang loosely; draping her shoulders and framing her forehead with neatly combed bangs. She's wearing the same uniform as Yuffie's. The school skirt really is too short. "Huh?" Crap, I think she realizes that her legs are open.

**SLAP!**

"PERVERT!" She gets up quickly and starts running off. I get off the ground and notice a piece of toast on the pavement. That can only mean one thing:

She's a transfer student!

For those of you who don't know, it's not a leap of logic, but for those who do, we should go out for a drink sometime. Great minds think alike. I chase after her. She's my only way to school after all.

"W-what are you doing, creep? Get away!" she screams.

"Are you transferring to Destiny High?" I ask. My legs run at full throttle to keep up with her.

"How did you know that?" she exclaims.

I grin.

"Get away from me!" Like I'm going to let such weak words of defiance deter me. I follow her easily through cross streets, back alleys, and crowded intersections until a giant building that resembles a school emerges from the distance.

I finally found it! Destiny High, here I come—

My face runs into a stiff arm and my body curls forward, flipping around until I land on my back. Did she just…

Clothesline me?

"I told you to stop following me!"

That hurt. That really hurt. "**Argggh!**" I cry out in pain. "What the hell is wrong with you! What kind of crazy bitch clotheslines a person like that! That's just uncalled for!" What the hell is her problem?

My outburst draws a small crowd of bystanders. We're right outside the school so it's to be expected. She sees the extra attention and gets a panicked look. "Y-you're the one who was chasing me you pervert!" After that declaration, she scrambles away.

"_He's a pervert?_"

"_What happened?_"

"_That's Sora isn't it?_"

"Sora! Are you okay?" I see Yuffie running towards me from the school gate.

I crack my neck a few times to sort out the ache. She gets in close and stretches out her hand. I grab it and pull myself up. "Yeah…I should be." I feel my pain gradually melt away. Amazing. This universe must not care about the laws of bodily harm. Why does this feel like such a bad omen?

"How do you find yourself in so much trouble so early?" she sighs. "Here you go." She holds out a bag for me.

"Is this mine?"

"Duh. I knew you would forget if I didn't grab it. Come on; let's hurry up before class starts."

"Thanks." I'm going to have to check my bag later for more clues.

I follow her lead as we walk through the steel gate and into Destiny High. So this is it, the stage for my daily school life. With my eventful morning, I can already guess what's happening. This is what they call…

A high school story.

When it comes to high school stories, the chances of it being a romance are extremely high. Unless…some crazy ass supernatural event occurs like goddesses and angels descending from the sky, or I start seeing ghosts and demons, or giant mechas start stomping around the campus. I don't think I can handle that much excitement in one day. Please let my first story be normal without ninjas, pirates, or inter-dimensional invaders.

If this is a romance, then who are my love interests? I turn to my _childhood friend_. "Hey Yuffie."

"What is it?" she replies without looking.

"Do you like me?"

Her head spins and she gives me the most freaked out look I've ever seen. "EHHH?" Her face is a delightful shade of embarrassed red. I think hit the nail on the head.

"Wow. You really do huh? Can you be any more obvious?" I laugh.

**SMACK!**

The next thing I know, I'm eating dirt. "YOU JERK!" she screams. I hear her footsteps move farther away.

Damn. I got ahead of myself there. I push off the ground and **WHOA—**

The world rewinds, everything moving in reverse, until I find myself walking alongside Yuffie again.

"What is it?" she says.

There it is, the revision in real-time. That's what happens when I don't follow the script. Everything rewinds until I make the right move. How irritating. I can't even take shortcuts! It doesn't look like I can leapfrog my way to the ending.

Either that, or Yuffie isn't my true love interest.

"Well?" she repeats.

"Oh…uh…it's a nice day today."

She stops and turns to me. "You're acting kind of weird."

"Oh really? How do I usually act?" This could be a good chance to find out more about myself.

She laughs in my face. "Come on, let's hurry up." It's never easy is it? I follow her through the hallways and notice that the school isn't that bad. The floors are relatively clean, shiny enough to make vague reflections, and the lockers are numerous and big.

"Why are you still following me?" she asks.

"To go to class?"

She gives me a suspicious look. "You're in class 2-A."

"We're not in the same class?"

She looms uncomfortably close. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Don't worry about me! 2-A…where is it?"

She points to a door five feet away from us. I look up and see the sign.

"Heh…thanks?"

She walks away muttering to herself. "_He's definitely dumber than usual today…_"

It's hard being a main character.

I enter the classroom and get accosted by a male student.

"What's up?" a blond greets.

I know him.

He's Roxas.

You know what? I'm not even gonna bother describing him. Blond spikes, yada yada, blue eyes like mine, yada yada, just imagine him wearing a school uniform—white shirt, tie, dark pants, and a blazer. And don't forget the welcoming smile.

"Do I know you?"

"Come on man! I'm your best bud, Roxas!"

Sure you are. I walk past him and observe the classroom situation. "So which one's my seat?"

He sidles up close and bumps me in a friendly manner. "You're such a joker! That one right there, by the window."

I give a long hard stare that visibly unsettles him. "I got clotheslined this morning. I'm suffering from a bout of amnesia. If that truly is not my seat, then you're going to find out what its like to experience amnesia too."

He waves his hands in panic. "It's true, that's your seat! Man, why you getting so aggressive today?"

"I don't know Roxas. I just don't know." I plop down on my seat and look around. All the students are wearing uniforms. It's _that_ kind of school. That means there must be student councils, clubs, sports teams, and class representatives. To find myself in this kind of situation…

So cliché.

I open my bag and check for any more details about _Sora Hikari_.

"Did you hear? There's a new transfer student today."

"I know. She's the one who clotheslined me this morning," I remark absentmindedly. I pull out a notebook and open it. Just a bunch of class notes.

"She what? Seriously?"

All the noise in the classroom stops. Oh shoot, this is a prelude to a grand entrance. I turn to the classroom door and a blonde girl walks in.

It's Naminé.

What an entrance. It's like she's walking in slow motion with a haze of flowers behind her. What's wrong with my vision? Everything's getting blurry and sparkly! I rub my eyes but the visual effects are still there. Her golden tresses flow like magic rivers of honey in the land of sweet delicious paradise. That metaphor doesn't even make sense! Such astounding beauty with pale skin that glows like porcelain, such clear blue eyes, and a face that can heal a broken man's soul…

"Goddamn," Roxas whistles. "There she goes; the number one beauty at Destiny High. A goddess among mere mortals!"

So much hyperbole. I turn to Roxas and— "Are you crying?"

"W-what?" He uses his sleeve to wipe away the tears. "It's just—she's just too beautiful!"

"Calm down there. What's the story with her?" I ask. I need character information, stat!

He shoots me a look of utter disbelief. I feel like I should be ashamed somehow. "What? I thought you're in love with her, you should know."

"I am?"

He rubs his chin. "Oh yeah, I forgot about your amnesia. Maybe it's best I don't tell you about it. Save you some heartache."

I clench his forearm tightly. "No. Please do explain."

"Okay, just let go!" He massages his arm feverishly. "Did you have to grip so tight? You're normally not this violent. Go back to being normal Sora…" he mutters.

"Dude."

"Okay! It just feels weird telling you what you already know. She's only the most popular girl in school. She's friendly with everybody, both girls and boys. She has outstanding grades, she's our class rep, comes from a rich family, and she's an amazing artist! She's the most perfect girl in the world!"

She must be the heroine.

She has to be if her very presence inspires hallucinations of flowery bubbles. The door opens and the teacher walks in with a student following close.

The teacher is Leon. The scar on his face is instantly recognizable. Wait a minute…a teacher with a scar on his face? Isn't that kind of weird? I look around the class and nobody seems to mind. I'll just go along with it. Why does he have to look like a fashion model though? He's too attractive to be a teacher! His suit is sharp, suave, and stylish.

I draw my attention to the girl next to him. Of course it's the transfer student and—

It's Kairi!

I already used up my description of her so I'm not going to bother describing her expectant expression, a gentle smile for the classroom, filled with the anticipation of a new and exciting school life—the mantle of every optimistic transfer student.

"Alright class, I'd like to introduce you all to a new student transferring in."

The class breaks out in mumbles.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself."

She gives a quick bow. "Hi! My name is Kairi Uchida and I hope you'll take good care of me. Nice to meet you all!"

All the boys are immediately stricken with her beauty. Hearts emerge from their eyes and dreamy thought bubbles start floating around the room.

"_So pretty!_"

"_I wonder if I should ask her out…_"

"_She looks real friendly!_"

If Naminé's not the heroine, the other option is—

"YOU!" she screams, pointing her finger at me. Now that's just rude.

I look around and everybody gives me a weird look. Oh yeah, I have a part to play, don't I? Considering what she did to me, it's not hard for me to say what I'm going to say next, "You're the crazy bitch who clotheslined me this morning!" I shout back.

"W-what?" she stammers with a red face. "You were the one chasing me you pervert!"

"I'm the pervert? You're the one running around showing your striped panties to everyone."

**BAM!**

That feeling of weightlessness as I sail through the air is quite amazing. The back wall of the classroom breaks my flight and I crumble against the floor.

She dropkicked me.

SHE DROPKICKED ME!

The class breaks out in a frenzy of chatter.

"_Did you see that?_"

"_What kind girl is she?_"

"_So violent._"

I could see her demeanor shatter like glass. There goes all her dreams of a great first impression.

"Well now. Since you two are acquainted, you two should sit next to each other. Do show her around school when you get the chance will you?" the teacher instructs.

Screw you Leon.

"NOOO! I can't believe it! And on my first day too…this is all your fault!" she accuses me. Sure, blame me for your personality defects. She turns to the teacher. "I can't sit next to this guy!" She makes an x with her arms. "There's no way!"

"Hm? Did you say something new transfer student?" Leon plays.

Kairi blows on her bangs. "Gah!"

"Are you okay Sora?" Naminé stands over me with a worried look. When did she get here? "Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

It's happening again! The bubbles, they're…actually quite nice. Her presence is extremely calming. This must be residual feelings from my character. "Nah, I think I'm okay." I spring up to my feet and test my body out. The pain is gone like magic.

She smiles at me. "That's great!"

Whoa…my heart definitely skipped a beat there.

"Everybody take your seats! It's time to start the lesson!"

I take my desk and Kairi settles into the one next to mine. I can feel her anger radiate in waves of heat. I tilt my head to the side and look at her.

"Don't look at me!" she warns. "I can't stand it when perverted eyes are on me!"

"Well…I don't like looking at bitches anyway."

**STOMP!**

Can this girl express herself in any other way besides violence! I lift up my foot and rub it furiously.

"Dick."

Honestly, I could just not say anything and leave it at that, but I feel compelled to reply. Call it author's intuition. Plot development must proceed from insults!

"Crazy."

"Ass."

"Stupid."

"JERK."

"Retard."

"Hey, settle down your lover's quarrel over there. I'm trying to teach a class here," Leon interrupts.

"Tch!" She turns away from me and pouts like a little kid.

I smile.

Just my luck.

I'm probably in a high school romance story with multiple love interests—it's a harem story. Leave it to me to insert myself in a dating sim. This is actually the worst kind of situation possible for me.

Why?

Because there are multiple endings but only one of them is true. What are the chances I'll get it on my first try? Which one could it be?

The overly affectionate stepsister?

The classic childhood friend?

The number one girl in school?

The fiery transfer student?

The worst part of it is that all of the choices are viable. At first glance, the stepsister may seem like the least likely candidate, but that could be precisely the reason why she is the true heroine. My only advantage is my author's viewpoint. Usually, the main character in this kind of story suffers from an immense flaw, such as density on the level of a supernova. I can safely assume that every girl will, at one point, be in love with me by virtue of the fact that this is a harem story and I'm the main character. My cognizance will not be an issue here.

The typical main character has the personality of white bread, a pale mass of doughy putty that can be pounded into any kind of shape or form. Part of this is to increase reader identification by presenting a blank slate where people can project their own personalities. No doubt, this was my reason for writing this story in the first place, a form of wish-fulfillment.

With the gratuitous amounts of panty shots and violence directed towards me already, I foresee many awesome and horrible situations waiting for me. It's a good thing I have the God Quill's boundaries to guide me towards the right direction, but it's a road fraught with much suffering.

I'll never know when the God Quill decides to get cute with me.

This could be an incomplete story, like so many others out there, and I'll be forced to make up an ending myself.

I'm just glad you're here with me.

I can't do this alone.

So tell me.

Who do you think I should go for first?


	3. The Illusion of Choice

**The Illusion of Choice**

Multiple endings are the same as no ending.

How many harem stories have I read that ended in stupidly inconclusive fashion? Too many. They all end the same: on an ambiguous note that leaves everything up to your imagination. How does that help me at all? I mean, no offense, but leaving the ending up to you is like playing with fire. I feel like I'm gonna get burned hardcore if I do something like that. I gotta keep a tight ship. I can't go off the beaten path into unexplored territory. There are probably man-eating lions waiting for me in the bushes.

In a situation like this, I think my course of action is clear:

Go for all of them.

I'm sure it's suicide to go for a simultaneous pursuit, but this is the quickest way to the end.

It's established that one of them is my best friend, so I'm not too worried about Yuffie. I can put her in the category of "already likes me." I'm making a big assumption here, but come on, she's my _childhood friend_. It automatically means she digs me. Let's also toss Xion in there too. She's my "sister," so it might be a little weird, but sister-complexes are popular, aren't they?

The real obstacles are Kairi and Naminé. Naminé is the resident beauty, and going after her is sure to incur the wrath of the resident fanboys. Kairi's the wild card transfer student, but her predilection for violence might get me beaten to death before I get anywhere.

Fortunately, we're all in the same class.

One childhood friend, one sister, and two classmates. I have to pat myself on the back. I've created a nice little prison for myself. No matter what, I will be forced to spend time with all of them.

So here I am, sitting in class, trying to figure out my next move. I recall Leon's instruction to give Kairi a tour of the school. Okay, so that's obviously the next scene, but we have a problem. I'm not qualified to give a tour since I have no clue how this place is laid out.

I look at the clock. I have to wait forty more minutes until class ends. What a pain in the ass. Can't I just skip all this and get to the good parts already? Now I have to come up with all sorts of filler to pass the time. If you haven't already noticed, time operates a little differently in this world.

Just between us, how long has it been since you last heard from me? Weeks? Months? Years? Yet, in all that time, not a single second has budged over here. It drives me nuts. With something like the God Quill, shouldn't I be able to make time fly with a single sentence?

_**First period finally ends.**_

Yeah, that's not gonna work. That's the difference between writing a story and living in one. You can't sweep years under the rug. I have to live every moment of this story, including all the parts you never have to read about. I can't skip the fluff to the truly juicy bits. Can't I just go to sleep and have somebody wake me up when the next chapter starts? It's like a video game. You get to see all the cutscenes while I have to deal with all the grinding. You lucky bastard.

In the meantime, I should dig up some more details about myself. I don't know if I'm supposed to be cocky, dumb, or scared. With the class engaged in free study, I approach Leon at his desk. He looks up from his paper and quirks a brow.

"Can I help you, Sora?" Is that derision in his voice? Don't tell me my teacher already hates me; I didn't even do anything!

"How am I doing in class?" I ask.

He bursts out laughing. That's not a good sign. I should get my mom to write a firm letter of reprimand for this insult. This is no way for a teacher to treat his student.

"Really, Sora? Heh, then again, that's what makes you my favorite student." He shuffles his papers and pulls out what I assume to be the grade book. "You're a C plus student through and through. The very definition of average."

"And that makes me your favorite student?" Excuse me, but that doesn't compute. Can you troubleshoot this gap in logic for me?

He smirks. "Of course. You're consistent in your mediocrity. You're the last guy I have to worry about. Students on the high end, on the other hand, are high maintenance. I have to make sure they perform at their peak. If their scores dip for whatever reason, I get parents screaming about how 'unfair' I'm being. And for kids on the low end, same deal. Parents are complaining that I'm not doing 'enough' for their kid. Between over and underachievers, an average guy like you is the best thing for my class. Keep up the good work."

Wow. I never thought I'd see the day a teacher celebrate the averages, but this only confirms my suspicion about the Sora in this world. I'm just your average shounen lead.

What is it about the average that attracts the exceptional? The protagonist is always some generic down-to-earth semi-loser whose life gets altered purely by chance. Isn't that a dangerous way of thinking? It's unrealistic to expect others to rescue us from our misery. If everybody waited for some fantastic and fabulous character to bail them out of their dull lives, then we'd all be wasting away in our dreams.

It's a shame reality doesn't funnel us towards convenient situations. If only life gave us ample opportunity to dive headfirst into danger, like pushing a girl away from incoming traffic, then we'd all have girlfriends and be perfectly happy about it.

But I have the luxury of being in a story where that stuff happens without even having to lift a single finger.

As easy as it is to sit back and let things happen naturally, I find this to be an entirely unacceptable situation. I refuse to be average. Surely I can speed up the process with a little eccentricity?

"Thanks for the encouragement. I'll be sure to try harder," I deadpan.

"If only everybody was as easy to handle as you, then my job would be so much easier. Don't forget to show Kairi around when class ends," he finishes.

Duly noted, jerk.

I back off and turn around. I spare Kairi a glance and she instantly looks up and shoots me a death glare. That was quick, does she have sensors in her head or something? I swing my eyes across the room and everything slows down as soon as they hit Naminé. The effect she has on me in this world is insane. My chest audibly thumps. It beats so loud I'm surprised nobody else hears it. My head gets light and my knees begin to buckle. Is this...what it feels like to swoon? My goodness, am I actually swooning? It feels disorienting and unexpectedly pleasant.

Shake it off, man! Keep your head in the game, now is NOT the time to faint.

She notices my intense gaze. "How can I help you?" she says to me. How sweet the sound of her voice, like an angel whispering divine words of revival to my lifeless corpse. How have I not felt the joy of living before this moment?

I slap myself on the cheek. Don't get carried away, fool! This is just part of the story. I don't actually like her, it's just Sora who does, the Sora whose body I'm borrowing at the moment.

I pin a smile to my face. "Naminé, you're the class rep, aren't you?" She nods. "Do you think you can help me out? I'd like you to accompany me when I show Kairi around the school."

Kairi perks up when she hears me mention her name. "What are you thinking?" she grumbles. She sure likes to jump the gun. It's not like I threw her under the bus. I'm just trying to get her a little help.

I cram my hands into my pockets and approach her. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. Isn't it better to make friends than enemies on the first day of school? Let's forget about this morning and let bygones be bygones." I don't know if I am supposed to act like a dick and create constant friction, but the reasonable side of me wants to believe that a little diplomacy can go a long way.

She eyes me suspiciously and turns her nose up. "Just don't get in my way." I guess that's what I get for being the bigger man.

"Fine." I turn to Naminé for an answer.

She smiles pleasantly. "Of course. Anything to help."

Her words send a shockwave of whispers through the classroom. It seems like I touched a raw nerve. All the boys are giving me dirty looks. I bask in their ill will. What can these bit players do to me? If I don't know your name, you're not important, period. Freakin' ambient background characters getting all uppity. Know your place; you're all totally worthless apart from setting up the atmosphere.

A hand grips my arm and I'm pulled aside.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Roxas whispers to me.

I shake his hand off and give him an annoyed look. "Asking the class rep for help on class-related matters?" I answer sarcastically.

This story barely got started. I'm not gonna have pages of me and Naminé exchanging coquettish glances like little kids before I make a move. The audiences demand action!

"Kairi must've given you a hard hit cause your head is not screwed on right. Nobody just asks the class rep for help, or accepts it whenever she offers."

"That sounds rude. Why not?" That's counterintuitive as hell. Class reps are supposed to rep.

His face has disbelief written all over it. "Because she's off-limits! Every guy in this school has agreed that Naminé is outside the hands of any one person, and it's an unspoken and unwritten rule that you do not engage with her unless you want to suffer the collective wrath of every guy here!"

"What's the worst that can happen?" I'm the main character, I'm untouchable, bitch!

He grabs me by the shirt and gives me a quiet smoldering gaze. "Everything." He lets go and turns around. "It's nice knowing you."

Sheesh, talk about dramatic. What can the faceless nameless masses do to me?

I think I spoke too soon.

As soon as Roxas leaves, the air around me becomes supercharged with bad mojo, the cumulative effect of dozens of dirty stares. It's like somebody cranked up the gravity slider to 200%. I can hardly move with such a heavy atmosphere. I will endure—I have to, for the sake of my ending.

Break finally arrives and I corral my two love interests for an informative tour of the school grounds.

"Lead the way, Naminé," I order.

The blonde looks to me with surprise. "You want me to handle everything?"

I nod, and why not? She's the class rep. She should know this place like the back of her hand—which is quite small and dainty. I just want to kiss it. Whoa, my mind temporarily flew off the rails there. Sorry about that.

"How lazy can you get?" Kairi remarks. Hey, let's call people lazy just because they don't know everything. Gimme a break, I'm in the same boat as you!

"Trust me; Naminé knows this school better than I do." At least I hope so.

"But Sora, you've been here for just as long as I have."

I shudder. No girl should have that much power over me, but I can't help it, her presence is intoxicating. "But you're the class rep," I eek out.

"I guess you're right," she says, smiling softly.

Be still my beating heart. It's just a smile…that also happens to be the brightest light in the darkest of days. "Let's get going," I urge. I don't wanna collapse in front of her.

Our party of three leaves the classroom and I'm all too aware of the eyes that follow me out. I'll be glad to escape their beams of pure hatred. These guys are taking things way too seriously. The animal aggression they're exuding is palpable.

We enter the hallways and Naminé starts by pointing out the features of the school. She shows us the club rooms, the science and music rooms, the gym, the restrooms, and where the main offices are.

Kairi and Naminé hit it off immediately. They're exchanging conversation like old boxing rivals. It's quite sickening to watch. Kairi's putting on curious airs for the sake of keeping company. Isn't this the same girl who clotheslined me this morning? Act more like the uncouth, barbaric, chick you really are! This little saccharine play of hers is making my stomach churn.

"Really? That's really interesting!" she cries in amazement.

"I don't see what's so amazing about a building that was built decades ago," I comment idly.

"The school has introduced several renovations since that time..." Naminé continues.

Great. What the hell am I supposed to do here? I'm a third wheel now. How can I steer this scene towards a more interesting development?

"What about you Naminé? It seems like you're pretty popular around here," Kairi comments.

"I'm not that popular," Naminé answers modestly. Yeah, I don't believe that. You'd have to be a special kind of dense to not notice.

"Isn't there a fan club dedicated to you?" I joke. It's more like a conglomeration of white knights and stalkers, but why bother getting into specifics? They're all the same in the end anyways.

"Uh...that's..." She laughs nervously. "They don't exist." Wow, such a flat denial. "I mean, they do, but I like to pretend they don't. Can you not bring up something so embarrassing?" She giggles nervously.

So…

CUTE!

She just brings out that feeling in me... It's like I have to protect her or something. Wait; is this what they call moe? Shit. This is not normal. Why am I such a lovesick moron? The worst part? I have no control over it.

"Excuse me," I say quietly. I don't want start rolling on the floor with uncontrollable spasms from the sheer glee of being in her divine presence. I am not worthy! So I walk to a faraway place where I can think straight.

I stumble around in a daze until I find myself outside. That was one serious funk. I can't even recall the moment I left the building. I'm sure I can just retrace my steps from this morning and get myself back into class.

"Hold it right there," a voice warns.

I turn around to see a line of male students in front of me. There are five of them, but there is a clear leader in front. "Are you talking to me?"

"Get this straight; nobody, not even you, gets close to Naminé without our permission." What the? Did I just cross a genre line? Please don't turn into a battle story; I'm not prepared to fight!

The leader, a shining silver-head, glares at me with harsh blue. He has a very punchable face, with a smug and cocksure smirk. Wait a minute, I recognize this guy! His name is… "Riku?"

"That's right. Have you forgotten who I am?" He crosses his arms in an expectant manner.

"What are you, head of the Naminé Defense Force?"

"Damn straight!" he growls. I flinch from the blunt admission. "I'm surprised though, I never thought that you, an honorary member of our corps, would betray us like this. We had an agreement, dammit!"

Play it cool. Don't escalate the situation. I have no idea what this guy is talking about, but let's just pretend I do. "It's not what you think. I just thought that Naminé would make the best guide for a new student—"

"Don't bullshit me, Sora. I know you got your eyes on her, hell, we ALL do, but none of us are stupid enough to actually go for it."

That is some screwed up reasoning. I don't think normal logic works against this kind of monstrous mind. I'll have to be as clear as possible. "Listen carefully, despite what you may think of my intentions, in the end, nothing happened. She was too much for me, so I ran away. That's it, end of story."

Oh, how I wish it was.

"Good. Let's keep it that way. This is your only warning. If I see any funny business between you two, you'll know what's coming." The mini gang skedaddles out of my hair.

Seriously, a Naminé Defense Force? You can't make this stuff up—except I actually did. Ugh, if Naminé is truly my ending, I've put one hell of an obstacle in the way. Riku towers over me easily and his muscles don't look like they're just for show either. Maybe I should lay off the class rep because that road is not looking very appealing right now.

"Excuse me, kid."

What now? I turn around again to see a middle aged man wearing a black suit. He has graying hair, stubble, and dark sunglasses. Who is this, some kind of secret agent?

"How can I help you?"

"Kid, I'm only going to say this once: stay away from Kairi."

Forget Riku, whoever the hell this badass is, he is one hundred times scarier. He's definitely a gangster—why is he reaching into his shirt pocket, don't tell me it's a gun?

Nope, it's just a flask. Thank goodness, I was about to have a heart attack. He takes a swig of the bottle and stuffs it back into his pocket. He grabs my shoulder in a vice grip. No need to squeeze that hard! "Don't forget what I said, kid."

"Understood!" He lets go and slinks back into the shadows from whence he came from.

The hits never stop coming do they? Why are all the crazies coming out of the woodwork now? I can't tell if this is a comedy or a tragedy in the making. Like seriously, what the hell? Does everybody have a bodyguard in this story? Where's my guardian angel?

"Sora!"

I turn around again to see Yuffie. I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, a friendly face.

**SMACK! **

"Ow! What the hell, Yuffie?" I take that back, the whole world is against me.

"Where the hell have you been? Break is over; get your ass back into class already!"

I can't take this. The level of nonsense here has shot over nine thousand!

"Hey, are you okay?" she asks worriedly. Now she notices my pain?

"I sincerely apologize. I won't do it again."

"Hey, I didn't hit you THAT hard, did I?"

That's not the point, but I've learned my lesson. I won't pursue everybody. I'll just pick a single girl. And really, at this point, there's only one choice that isn't liable to get me killed, and that is—

You got it:

Xion.

It should be okay. It's not like we're related or anything. Even if it's not by blood, I'm still planning on picking the forbidden fruit, to cross that illicit familial boundary into a world of no return. I know she's my "sister" but…

I ain't got a choice.

From now on, just call me the **Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel**.


	4. An Unexpected Detour

**An Unexpected Detour  
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Ask and ye shall receive.

It's such a fundamental concept, but far too many people keep their mouths shut when it's in their best interest to just _ask_.

When you're in a situation like mine, there's no reason to be shy—or ashamed of asking for help. I've got story amnesia; I need somebody to explain things to me!

Roxas has done right by me so far. Perhaps I should've heeded his advice on Naminé, but what's done is done.

As I reenter the classroom, I spot him sitting by the window sill. He gazes outside with a calm expression, like a dreamer dreaming of frivolous dreams. The sunlight makes him glow like a beacon of wisdom. He stands out amongst the faceless grey that constitutes my "classmates," because unlike them, he has a purpose, which is to supply me with the answers I need in order to get the plot moving.

He turns his head and smiles instantly. "You're back! What did I say? I told you so, I told you so!" he repeats for emphasis. He can hardly contain himself, with his shoulders shaking with vindication, and his face so smug it just makes me want to punch it repeatedly. "You didn't listen to me, but _nooo_, you just had to act all badass. Next time I tell you something, you had better listen, because I'm not bailing you out next time."

"You didn't even bail me out the first time," I counter.

"I gave you a warning. That counts as a preemptive bail." No, it doesn't, it's just preemptive bullshit.

"You're embarrassing yourself," I warn. "It's not like I got beat down or anything. I just had a chat with the president of Naminé's fan club. Nothing to get worked up over."

"Maybe," he concedes, "but Riku is not a man to be trifled with. I wouldn't make an enemy out of him if I could help it. What's gotten into you anyways? Why'd you start making moves all of sudden? There are rules: look, but don't touch. We all gotta abide by them, including Riku."

What got into me? Why me of course.

I stretch out my arms lazily and fold my hands behind my head. "If I did that, I wouldn't get anywhere."

I'm sure you guys wouldn't appreciate a story about me having a normal life at school, doing normal things, and having normal conversations with normal people.

"Are you still gonna chase after her?" he wonders. He gives me the deadeye, as if he's prepared to unleash bullets of cold hard truth in the event I say "yes." He's just itching to prove me wrong.

I shake my head. "Nah, I'm putting that idea on ice. I'm more interested in Xion." I've committed to her route. She's the path of least resistance—actually, my parents might have a few things to say about it, but what they don't know won't hurt them.

"Your sister?"

"What exactly is the deal with her?" He gives me a blank look that fits perfectly next to the definition of the word dumb. "How is she at school?" I clarify. "Is she popular, hated, or what?"

He slaps his fist as realization strikes. "Oh yeah, your amnesia thing—I forgot." He strokes his chin thoughtfully. "How'd you get it again?"

"I got clotheslined by Kairi, remember?"

He lets out a rambunctious laugh. "Hahaha! What I wouldn't give to see that!"

I look off to the side since I can't stand the sight of this goofball taking glee in my misfortune. "I can give you a taste of it, if you want. You're sitting awfully close to the window, if you catch my drift."

He gets off the window sill quickly. "Hey, let's not get crazy here. Can't you take a joke without threatening me? Jeez."

I roll my eyes. "Just tell me about Xion."

A smirk paints his face. He seems to enjoy knowing more than I do. "I think you said it best: she's a princess."

"I said that?"

"Uh huh." He stands up straight and adopts a lecturing pose. He taps his temple to unlock the knowledge that will, no doubt, astound me. "It's right on the money. If Naminé is the queen of this school, then Xion is the princess. Unlike the queen, the princess is easygoing, cute, and totally approachable. The guys don't hesitate to ask her out, but the problem is…"

"What?"

"She always says no."

"Do you know the reason?" How much you wanna bet it starts with "in" and ends with "cest?"

"Her excuse is always the same: _I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now_. It sucks." He kicks the floor in frustration. "It really sucks."

"You must know from experience."

"That's right, you bastard! Come on, I thought we were friends? Where's the hook up? That's the only reason I became friends with you!"

"That's why we're friends?"

His eyes widen. "Huh? No! I mean—we were always friends! Yeah, Xion's got nothing to do with it. Hehehe." What a dick.

"Do you have any redeeming qualities at all?"

"Of course! People say I'm funny."

"Comic relief, gotcha. Keep up the good work." I give him a thumbs up and walk away.

He chases after me, begging for more page time, but I ignore him.

Break formally ends and class officially starts. I deal with a bunch of in-class nonsense, including the heated stares from the boys, and suspicious glares from Kairi. If I was an egg, I'd be sunny side up right now.

Kairi's an interesting one. I thought I squared things between us, but she's still mad dogging me. Do I really deserve this treatment? I only saw her panties. That's not a crime. It's not like I took a photo and started distributing it throughout school.

Naminé, as always, continues to exude rays of love and peace from her pleasant demeanor. I'd probably die of happiness if I sat next to her, or if she sat on my lap, with her arms wrapped around my neck, whispering sweet nothings into my ear, while gently stroking my cheek, and snaking her hands beneath my shirt, and then—whoa!

I'm getting carried away here.

Her aura is too powerful. Her mere presence casts a spell on any helpless male, intoxicating him, filling him with funny thoughts that occasionally sound appealing despite its objective horribleness. For instance, I wouldn't mind being ordered around by her; she could step on my head and call me "bad boy!" any time she wants.

The hell's wrong with me? I need to put some distance between me and her. This train of thought is going to send me off a cliff.

It's tough being the center of attention. I have to ward off the boy's ominous stares, Kairi's smoldering glares, and Naminé's magic airs while ignoring Roxas in the background desperately trying to get my attention. Sorry dude, but your part is finished.

The bell rings, telling every student that its time to fill their stomach with food. Lunch time is an integral part of any story, especially at school. I wonder what exciting developments are in store for me? I leave the classroom and remember that I have no idea where to get food. I scan around and spot Kairi looking dazed.

"Hey Kairi," I greet pleasantly. She returns my geniality with cautiousness.

"What is it?" Easy there, let's not bite my head off just yet.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the cafeteria is?" Naminé should've given her the lowdown after I ran off during the tour.

"Shouldn't you know?"

"I think your kicks gave me amnesia," I joke.

"That's what you get for being a pervert." Don't stick your head in the sand and pretend that beating the crap out of me is justified.

"Whatever. Just tell me where the cafeteria is."

She makes a show of defiance by staying silent. When in doubt, just pout. "Fine, be that way. I'll find it myself."

"W-wait!" she cries out. Her hands are drawn together in almost pleading fashion.

"What now? Did you change your mind?"

She looks around and bows her head. She suddenly looks a lot more vulnerable than before. "I wanted to eat lunch with Naminé, but she has student council meetings now. I don't want to be alone during lunch on my first day so…" How horrible it must be for the new kid to be a loner.

"Sorry, can't help you there," I reject cheerily.

Her face crumbles in an instant, but quickly distorts into anger. "FINE!"

"I'm just joking!" I reveal. Even if she totally deserves it, I'm sure being an asshole isn't going to do me any favors in the future. "I'm surprised you want to eat with this 'pervert' in the first place."

"I just don't want the others to think that I'm a loner, okay? That's it. You're only there to keep from looking lonely." Looking lonely? You should you don't mean _being_ lonely?

"I wonder what they'll think when they see you hanging out with the guy you knocked out earlier this morning."

"Shut up about that already! I think we can all agree that you deserved it. End of story."

I'm about to make a retort but the alarm bells are ringing loud and clear in my head. Did I forget something important? What am I missing here?

Oh shit.

"On second thought…"

"What now?" she says irritated.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I was warned by some suit that I shouldn't get close to you."

She froze, a look of horror crossing her face. "W-What did he say to you?"

"That he'd rip my head off and feed it to the sharks, tear my limbs and use it to feed the tigers, and use the rest of my body as bear food." He didn't actually say all that, but it was definitely implied.

"Ugh, I told him not to—er, I mean, don't worry about it. Just eat lunch with me, okay?" Yeah, mumbling to yourself is very reassuring.

"Is he some kind of bodyguard?"

"S-something like that, come on, aren't you hungry? Let's get food already!" she urges.

"Are you from a rich family?" I say, continuing to speculate.

She grabs me by the shirt and starts pulling. "Forget about it!"

She starts dragging me through the hall and the other kids give us weird looks. "A body guard…your dad must be important."

"It's got nothing to do with you. Just put it out of your mind." She seems very eager to close the conversation.

"Is he a politician?"

"Let's get food, food is good. Yes, time to satisfy our hungers," she chants to herself.

I must be getting warmer. Somebody important enough to require a bodyguard… It can only be from a family that's rich enough to afford bodyguards. What kinds of people are rich? You got company owners, politicians, and… "Is he some kind of crime boss?"

She stumbles and pulls my head into an arm lock. "How did you get that silly idea?" she lets out menacingly between grit teeth. Her eyes sparkle with a deadly gleam. "That's impossible. Somebody like me, from a family of gangsters? No way!"

Nail, meet the freakin' jackhammer.

"So I was ri—**ARGGH**!" She tightens her arm around my neck. "Okay, it's not true, it's not true!" She finally lets go.

I rub my neck. Damn, that might leave a bruise. Is there no end to her violence? Wait, if she's from a crime family, it totally makes sense. I look up and notice that she hasn't moved. "You okay?"

"Shut up!" she screams, before sprinting off. What is she, five years old?

A shudder runs through me. I look behind and see a shadow lurking in the bushes. Crap! I have a feeling Mr. Bodyguard is going to whip my ass unless I can get Kairi to vouch for me. I don't wanna be wearing cinderblock shoes after school!

I start chasing after her but she's quick and has too much stamina. "Wait up!" I yell after her. With the prospect of death looming over me, my legs gather the necessary energy for an emergency boost. "STOOOOP!" I manage to touch her but I trip on my legs. I grasp her shoulder to keep my balance but I end up dragging her down with me.

**CRASH!**

Oh boy, if I don't clear things up soon, I can't imagine Mr. Bodyguard holding himself back any longer. I spot her lying face down against the grass. She isn't hurt, is she? Panic sets in. Please be okay, I don't want to be fed to exotic animals! I get on my knees and shake her gently. "Kairi, are you alright?"

She pulls her head out of her arms, revealing a tear-stricken face. "Leave me alone," she says, sobbing.

"Hey, relax…why are you crying?" I try my best to be comforting and sympathetic, but a small part of me is jumping for joy. Justice has been served.

She rubs away a stray tear. "Because it's all over. You discovered my secret. Now you're going to tell everybody, the whole school will be afraid of me, and it'll be the same thing as last time. I'll be alone, with no friends, and nobody willing to talk to me. Are you happy now?"

I tried my best to hold it in, but the truth must be set free.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

That's just the stupidest and most ridiculous thing I ever heard. What kind of grade school logic is that? _Oh no, my secret's out, now everybody's going to hate me!_ Come on, people aren't that retarded. We're all mature enough to evaluate people based on their own merits, and not the merits of their background. I can think of worse back stories. In this day in age, having a crime boss for a dad is intriguing, interesting, and totally cool. People will trust what they see, and if they see a ruthless daughter of the mob, then that's what they'll think, but if they see a sweet little girl who just happens to be born into a family of gangsters, well that's fine too. I think we've come across enough cases of "don't judge a book by it's cover" to get over such silly prejudices. I don't understand why she's so freakin' scared of the prospect of—

She punches me in the gut. "What's so damn funny?"

"Can you not resort to violence for even one second?" I gasp, keeling over in pain. I take a few deep breaths until the pain subsides. "Look, you have nothing to worry about."

She looks at me anxiously with puppy dog eyes. "You're going to keep my secret?"

I reposition myself and sit on the ground. "Not exactly."

Her face falls. "I knew it…"

"Why should it be a secret to begin with?" I ponder aloud. "There's no point in having friends if you have to pretend to be somebody else."

"Huh?" She's absolutely confused. She can't make sense of the contradictions I'm spouting.

"I'm not going to pretend to know what happened back at your old school, but I can say this much: I'll be your friend, gangster family or not."

"Are you…serious?" She gazes at me with hopeful eyes, the fate of her world hinging on my reply.

"Why the hell not? Half the school already hates me. I could use some professional back up."

"You're not fooling me? You're not just saying this because you're afraid, are you? Because if you are—"

"Kairi, just shut up and accept my friendship." For the first time since I've met her, she _smiles_ at me. It's simply brilliant, and radiant, and manages to blow me away like a lone ray of sunshine in the middle of a storm. Why has she not smiled up until now? A real smile like this, not the fake stuff she put out in front of the class.

"Then we're friends now?"

"Uh…sure."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Truly?"

"YES!"

She tackles me, her arms squeezing the life out of me. Even her friendly gestures are violent! "AWESOME! I take back everything I said about you." She pulls back and gives me a grateful look. "Thank you." What a total 180. Is this the same girl who barbarically dismantled me earlier?

I find myself smiling though, because in the end, as long you're cute, all is forgiven. I'm such a sucker.

"Now that we're all hunky-dory, can you call off your watchdog?" Even if I can't see him, I can still feel his killing intent.

"Oh…right," she says, giggling. "Auron! You can come out now!"

_Auron_ walks out of the shadows and stops before us. He has one hand in his shirt pocket, and something tells me it isn't a flask. "Miss…I cannot condone—"

"I want you to meet my new friend, Sora. From now on, no threatening him, okay?" she requests sweetly.

"But miss—"

"No buts!" she roars.

I recoil from the sudden outburst.

"Y-yes. As you wish." He slides down his sunglasses and gives me a cold look. "I apologize for earlier." That was just about the most sincere apology I ever received.

"It's no problem," I laugh weakly.

He nods slightly before disappearing into the shadows.

"Isn't that great?" She blinds me with another smile. "Are you free after school today? How about we go watch a movie, or play at the arcade, or maybe…" She's already hatching plans? Was she that starved for friendship before?

"Uh…sorry, but can we hang out tomorrow instead?"

"Oh…" She's super disappointed, but recovers quickly. "That's fine. It just gives me more time to plan." She smacks me on the back and laughs. "You won't regret becoming friends with me! I guarantee it!" I hope it's not a guarantee enforced with guns and violence. "It'll be great if we can become friends with Naminé too," she hums longingly.

"We will." And that's a guarantee enforced by the author.

We get off the ground and head to the cafeteria, but by the time we get there, lunch time ends.

Even though I didn't get a chance to eat, lunch did not disappoint. I wasn't planning on opening the door to Kairi, but stories have a way of veering off course. I hate to say this, since I want to narrow my choices, not expand them, but she's back in the running.

Despite this, I'm still set on Xion. Kairi's path is too uncertain, and meddling with gangsters can only end in disaster. My goal hasn't changed.

I'm still going after my sister.

What? Don't look at me like that! It's just the easiest ending, okay? That's all it is! Don't judge a book by its cover, even if the title's _Incest_—which it really isn't, since we're not even related by blood and—

Okay, you know what? This chapter ends.

Now.


	5. Nick of Time

**Nick of Time**

It amazes me how weather can change on a dime.

This morning, the sky was clear and sunny, but now, it's dark as hell. It actually scares me. Laugh all you want, but if you could see this, you'd be shitting your pants too. There's a huge, black anvil cloud, descending like a spaceship to herald the destruction of mankind. If that thing touches the ground, the world's gonna be crushed. A thick blanket of black covers the sky, and it looks like it'll collapse at any moment, dropping an ocean over this island. To make matters worse, I have to deal with the thunder rumble too. It sounds like two freight trains duking it out in the sky.

Weather in a story is never random. If it rains, it rains for a reason—maybe because somebody died, or because somebody is about to die, or simply because shit is about to go down. A freak thunderstorm—it doesn't get any more foreboding than that.

School ended mere moments ago, and I'm standing outside the school entrance, waiting for Xion to show up. There are two simple reasons for this: one, because I'm aiming for her; two, because she knows the way home. Judging from these dark clouds, I'd rather not wander in search of home when I can be escorted by my dear sister. I watch students pour out of the school until I notice a box of umbrellas off to the side. Don't mind if I do. I walk through the crowd and reach for the last remaining umbrella—which is complete BS since the box was full just seconds ago, but dramatic license has a way of rearing its ugly head at the worst times. Another hand grabs it before I can. I trace it back to its owner and realize the hand belongs to Xion.

She shoots me a devilish grin. "Hehe, need an umbrella? Let's share!" It's an innocuous proposition, but for some reason, my body shivers.

What am I getting scared for? This is what I want! "Sure," I accept gratefully. Just as soon as I say that, a lightning bolt tears the sky asunder, and the rain starts falling.

Jeez, who pissed off the gods? The rain attacks the ground without mercy. It's heavy enough that the drops bounce several feet after impact. Puddles form instantly, and rivulets begin rushing through cracks, nooks, and crannies. A thin layer of water canvasses everything.

I hear the _fwip_ of the umbrella unfolding and turn around. She smiles at me pleasantly and presents the handle. "Since you're taller, you should hold it." It makes sense. As soon as I grab it, she latches on to my arm, hugging it tightly. She gives me this adorable gaze that makes my heart beat erratically, although I'm not sure if it's out of embarrassment or fear. "Let's go!"

We walk out into the rain.

_Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter! _

The umbrella holds up admirably. A quick scan of my surroundings show students running for cover like cockroaches scattering in the light. It's the kind of rain that, even if you're covered from head to toe in waterproof clothing, you wouldn't want to stand in. Even storm lovers would be hard-pressed to enjoy this.

My stomach rumbles.

"Are you hungry?" she asks sweetly. I'm surprised she could make it out from the rumble of thunder.

"A little bit." Thanks to Kairi and her shenanigans, I missed out on lunch, and now I'm paying the price.

"How about we get something to eat?" she proposes.

I nod my head in agreement. You see? _This_ is the reason I picked Xion. She practically writes the scene herself! At this rate, I may reach the end of this story in one chapter. Who cares if Naminé isn't developed yet? My goal is to get out of here as quickly as possible, and if it means sacrificing character development, then so be it.

"I know a place close by," she tells me.

"Lead the way."

Using her vice grip, she steers us towards our destination. Even though the world around us is drenched in chaos, the space under our umbrella is serene. It's almost eerie. A truck drives by, kicking up water on the sidewalk. Her grip on me tightens painfully.

"Ow! Xion?" I call out.

She mumbles something into my sleeve.

"What was that?"

She looks up and smiles, "Nothing! Let's hurry up and get out of the rain."

I stop, forcing her to halt. That might fly in other stories, but I'm too curious to just let it go. "What was that?" I ask, repeating my question.

"It's nothing," she excuses again. She tugs on my arm. "Come on, let's go."

I stand my ground. This is one piece of foreshadowing that I must illuminate! "I'm not moving until you tell me."

Her cheery disposition falls. "Fine, it's…"

The world stops.

Damn it. Nothing ever comes easy, does it? Everything slowly rewinds. She starts moving backwards and the rain droplets reverse their descent, which, admittedly, is a pretty cool effect. I thought the rewind would stop when I asked her the question, but things continue to move in reverse. How much longer am I going to go back? My consciousness is the only thing that remains unaffected. My body moves on its own, taking backward steps until we're back at school. We move across the courtyard and towards the entrance. Everything continues to rewind until finally, it stops at the very beginning of this chapter.

Well that's a waste.

Screw you, God Quill, for making me do this nonsense all over again!

I swear, this isn't filler. It's not like I'm trying to reach a word quota by rewriting the same scene over and over again, although it's a convenient way of extending the story.

Never mind.

I stomp through the crowd of students to grab an umbrella before they realize the state of the sky again. Even though I'm absolutely positive that I reached for the umbrella a full ten minutes earlier than before, the same thing happens. There's only one left, and it just happens to be Xion who gets it. Story timing is so…convenient.

I'll spare you the details and fast forward to where we're supposed to be. What could she have said to trigger the rewind? Now I'm totally curious about it. As far as I know, it could something completely irrelevant and the God Quill is just screwing with me.

"Nothing! Let's hurry up and get out of the rain," she says for the second time. She pulls me into a light jog and we end up in a burger joint. My stomach grumbles in response to the smell of food. She giggles. "I'll order for you, what do you want?"

"Anything." It doesn't matter, I just want something in my stomach. I take my seat at a table close to the window. The seats are made out of hard plastic, which is a little uncomfortable, but it easy to slide around. I sidle up to the window and look outside. I have a great view of the rain. I turn my head towards the counter to see Xion ordering the food. It brings a smile to my face.

I put a hand over my chest and close my eyes. It's strange. It feels like I'm slowly losing my mind. When I dealt with Kairi at lunch, a part of me rebelled against any attempts at civility. Something inside me wanted to lash out against her. Fortunately, I was able to overcome it.

That isn't the case for Naminé though. She has the biggest effect on me; her mere presence sends me into a rosy trance of love sick.

It's the effect of this "Sora." I think our personalities are slowly starting to merge. His emotions are becoming my emotions. The more time I spend with Xion, the less appealing the idea of romancing her becomes. I can't suppress this growing feeling in my heart that pursuing Xion is just…_wrong_ on every level.

I take my hand out and observe it. It's shaking. The more time I spend in here, the more I lose myself. I think I'm getting dumber too, or at least reaching levels of average intelligence. Is this another effect of the God Quill?

"Here's the food!" she greets with a tray. A warm affection emerges from my heart, and I thank her gratefully. Is it strange to feel things for people I hardly know? I suppose this is what they mean by destiny, when you meet someone and it feels like you've known them your entire life. I have no memories of Xion other than of this morning, but I have the overwhelming urge to protect her like a big brother. No! I must push aside these feelings, for the sake of my ending!

I take a big bite of the bacon burger she got for me and wash it down with soda. It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted—hell, it's the only thing I've tasted in this entire story. I haven't eaten anything up until this point, can you believe that?

Note to self: make more eating scenes in the future.

I notice that Xion hasn't done anything besides watch me. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Of course! I'm just waiting for my meal to be ready."

"It's not ready yet? Didn't you order our meals at the same time?" It made no sense to put in two separate orders, but maybe she wanted me to get my food faster? How nice of her.

Huh.

For a second there, I thought I saw two Xions.

I blink.

Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

No wait, everything's getting blurry…

My eyes feel heavy…

I think I should…

Just lay my head down and…

Nap.

Everything goes to black.

I'm vaguely aware of my surroundings. I'm standing somewhere in the middle of the city. Everything's shrouded in fog. I can only make out building silhouettes. Okay, what the hell just happened? One moment, I'm in a restaurant with Xion, and the next, I'm standing in the middle of a foggy town. This is either one massive plothole, or I'm totally knocked out right now. I'm guessing it's the latter.

Great, now I'm stuck in an ethereal world that bears no consequence on the actual storyline. For a dream sequence, it's rather boring. I'm expecting more randomness, like monsters, explosions, and sexy chicks.

Oh well, let's take a walk around, shall we? Even though everything's shrouded, the place appears to be a dense metropolitan environment. Tall buildings abound, and the only shred of nature in sight is the occasional tree in the sidewalk.

I spot a shadow in the distance.

Hmmm…

It's a chase! I start pumping my legs as hard as I can but the shadow maintains its distance. Something tells me this is important, that it's relevant somehow, but I won't know for sure unless I—

My eyes open and I see a ceiling. That's how you know it's a dream, when it cuts out at the most crucial point.

I let out a groan. My head is pounding like the worst hangover ever. It takes me several moments to gather myself. I'm lying on a bed. I suppose things could be worse. I could've woken up naked in a ditch for instance, or in a bathtub without my kidneys. It's rather chilly in here. I look down and see that I'm in nothing but boxers.

I get up—or at least try to, but realize that my hands are tied to the bedposts with rope. Uh…what? I pull my leg, but it's similarly tied down. Oh no, what's going on here? I turn my head and scan the room. Interesting. The walls are painted in deep hues of red and pink, and the bed I'm in has a bevy of heart-shaped cushions and pillows. The blanket beneath my body feels silky. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is…

A love hotel.

This is the second time I've woken up thinking that I'm in a fantasy. This is crazy. I tug at the ropes but the knot is too immaculate. My only option is to the tug so hard, it'll break the wooden post, but that's impossible for me. I'm not a freakin' superhero here. I notice noises coming from another room. It sounds like a shower. I hear a faucet turn and the sound of rushing water stops. A door opens, unleashing a cloud of escaping steam.

It's Xion. Of course it's Xion. Upon seeing this, a deep fear seizes control of my heart. This must be the feelings of this world's Sora. He—I am absolutely scared shitless. Is my virtue going to be robbed today?

Her wet hair droops messily around her head. A white towel is wrapped snugly around her body. I normally find the sight of a girl coming out of the shower irresistible, but "Sora" is making it very hard for me to enjoy the view. His protests bounce around my head, telling me this that _this is wrong, _repeatedly. Shut up, Sora! This is my ticket out! Her head turns to me with a sultry look.

"Sora…" she lets out huskily.

"What's going on?"

She grins. "My meal is finally ready, and right now, I'm _really_ hungry." She drops the bath towel, revealing black lingerie underneath, complete with garter belt and stockings. That's not something she should be wearing. The brother in me is weeping.

I could hardly react before she jumps on the bed and straddles me. She's sitting right on my c—I can't even say it, it's too embarrassing!

She leans over my face and strokes my cheek tenderly. She kisses me before I get chance to say anything. I feel her moist lips press against mine. Her tongue slips out and grazes the surface of my mouth. It feels so good…but **so wrong**. How can something taste so sweet and poisonous at the same time?

"Now then, let's see what you got down there." She draws herself back and her fingers start fumbling around the waistband of my boxers.

Is this it? Am I really going to be raped by my stepsister?!

This can't be happening. This story is rated T for goodness sake, where's my deus ex machina!

"**AH!**"

I can't believe it, she actually pulled it down. It's exposed now. Isn't this the line that should not be crossed? Am I already at the point of no return? I'm almost afraid to look down. "_Just relax and enjoy yourself, Sora…_"

**BOOOM!**

The door to the hotel room explodes into a cloud of debris, sending wooden pieces flying all over the room. "**Stop it right there!**" a voice commands. A figure flies out of the smoke and tackles Xion down on top of me.

"Yuffie!" I yell out in relief. Bless her soul! What a savior. "Would it kill you to arrive several minutes earlier?"

"Shut up, Sora, if it wasn't for—" Her eyes bulge when she realizes that they're on top of me, and my boxers are pulled down.

"OH MY GOD, cover yourself up!"

"You think I can? My hands are tied! Literally!"

"F-Fine! I'll do it then!" She tries to avoid looking at _little Sora_ and pulls my underwear up as quickly as possible.

"Damn it, I was so close!" Xion exclaims in frustration.

"Of all the days you decide to go off on your own. You're lucky I saw you two leaving school together."

Did the rewind let Yuffie see me leaving school with Xion? I guess everything happens for a reason.

"What is wrong with you? Don't you know this is really messed up? He's your _brother_!"

Xion simply pouts and ignores Yuffie's mad ramblings about social taboos and expectations.

"Back me up here, Sora!" Yuffie says to me.

"I would love to, but can you two get off me already? And untie these ropes!"

Yuffie rolls her eyes, reaches behind her back, and pulls out a kunai—a kunai! What's she doing running around with such dangerous objects? She cuts the ropes and my limbs are free. I start rubbing the imprints on my wrists and ankles.

"The way I see it, this is both of your faults. How can you be so careless? Do I have to pull your butt out of the fire every time? And you, go get dressed. No high schooler should be wearing that!"

"You're just jealous because it looks better on me than it does on you."

"Say that again!" she threatens.

Xion sticks out her tongue and dashes into the bathroom, narrowly avoiding thrown kunais.

"What are you going to do when I can't protect you anymore?" Yuffie asks me.

"I guess I'm screwed at that point."

"Ugh…" She places her face into her palm. Her frustration amuses me.

This is a good time to find out some information. "Yuffie, is there a reason why she's all over me like flies on honey?"

Yuffie gives me a tired look. "You must be really out of it, huh? Whatever drugs she slipped you musta screwed up your brain big time. I guess you run so much, you forget why you're running in the first place. The story's pretty simple. It was in middle school. She wasn't paying attention on the road and almost got ran over by a truck, but you managed to push her out of the way in time. Ever since then, she's got the hots for you." Pushed out of the way of an oncoming truck. So that's what that piece of foreshadowing alluded to?

"Wait, she wasn't my sister then?"

"Nope. Her dad visited you to say thank you, but he met your mom and they hit it off. After just six months, they got married," she explains succinctly.

"Xion couldn't have been too happy about that."

"She was pissed off at first, but then she saw it as an opportunity. She's been after you ever since she moved in. I've had to protect your sorry ass ever since."

The bathroom door slams open, revealing a livid Xion. "I hate you!" she yells at Yuffie, before running out of the hotel room.

"W-Wait!" My brotherly instincts kick in and I hop out of the bed to chase after her.

"Don't forget your clothes!" screams Yuffie.

Damn it. I find my shirt and pants and put it on as fast as possible. I run through the hallway and down the stairs to see her leaving through the main entrance. I cross the lobby, leave the building, and catch sight of her on the wet street.

**HONNNKKK!**

I look down the road and spot a truck barreling down. The brakes start screeching, but in this kind of rain, it's too late! She's completely frozen.

"NO!"

**SCCCREEEEEECHHH!**

I instinctively look away. What am I doing? She's my sister! I turn around, fully prepared to see her remains splattered on the road, but I don't spot anything. Did the truck hit her so hard that her body flew out of sight?

"XION!" I jump into the road and start searching. Where is she?

There! Thank god. I see her in the embrace of a boy I recognize. It's Riku! He must've saved her.

"Are you okay, girl?" the silver-headed boy asks.

"Y-You saved my life!" Xion cries incredulously.

It's quite a sight, to see both of them embracing each other in the rain like that. It's a scene ripped right out of a cheap romance novel.

"Be careful next time you cross the street," he warns. He lets go of her and spins around. With that, he begins to walk away with swag. Seriously, what kind of cheap strut is that?

"W-Wait, please, tell me your name!" she pleads, hand outstretched in desperation.

He glances over his shoulder with a smoldering gaze. "It's _Riku_."

She sighs dramatically at his answer. "Riku, will you go out with me?" How bold of her—and how quickly too!

He flips his hair with his fingers. "Sorry, but there's only one girl for me, and her name is Naminé." What a bizarre scene. He walks away coolly, much to Xion's disappointment, and her shoulders drop in resignation.

"What the hell is going on?" Yuffie asks, finally catching up with me. She looks between the stationary Xion, the leaving Riku, and the stopped truck. "Did I miss something?"

"Something amazing," I answer dryly. I walk up to my sister and attempt to comfort her. "Xion? Are you okay?" I put a hand on her shoulder but she knocks it off.

She looks up and reveals her tears. I thought it was just the rain, but it already stopped moments ago. These are genuine tears. "I'm sorry, Sora, but I've found a new love. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Uhh… Yes, I forgive you completely." At this point, the old Sora has fully integrated with me.

She falls to her knees and grips her head. "Argggh! I can't decide! Riku or Sora? Sora or Riku?"

It's official, this story has gone off the deep end.

"Let's get out of here," Yuffie says plainly. She's had enough of this stupidity.

Does this mean the road to Xion has closed?

As if to answer, the clouds part and a lone ray of sunshine falls on me.

I'll take that as a "yes."


	6. End 1

**A Completely Original Finale**

From the remains of a storm springs a rainbow.

As the clouds clear up, a band of color curves through the sky and I marvel at its wondrous beauty. It's a fitting end to the nightmare I just survived. I gotta hand it to myself, when it comes to writing, I don't hold back. I wonder what kind of drugs I was on when I wrote that last chapter? I must've been under the influence of some crazy stuff.

Yuffie and I walk across town towards my house. It's a quiet journey through the wet city. With the sun finished playing peek-a-boo with the clouds, the streets are free to glisten and sparkle. The birds begin to sing and soar overhead, the butterflies erupt from the bushes and dance in the air, and children pour into the streets and start playing "jump in the puddle." Laughter fills the air.

Yuffie stops.

"What's up?" I ask cheerily, totally taken in by the bright atmosphere around me.

She glares at me. "I thought I told you to wait for me?"

"Huh?"

"I'm talking about after school. Why'd you run off like that? We always walk home together. Always. Without exception. The reason? What I just saved you from," she says, breaking it down logically.

"I forgot."

"Forgot, my ass." She shakes her head, muttering insults under her breath. She glances at me and resumes her walk.

"Hey, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Idiot. That's not the problem. I was worried!" Is that a flag? That's gotta be a flag.

"You were worried?" I echo with extra emphasis. "Like…_really worried_?"

"Don't push it." Her pace speeds up.

I have to jog just to keep up with her. She's quick on her feet. "Wait up!"

My characterization radar is picking up some massive indications of tsundere from her, which is quite odd considering she doesn't fit the personality profile for it. Scratch that. Childhood friends are perfect in that category. With Xion out of the chicken race, that leaves me with only Yuffie, Kairi, and Naminé. Since she's already here, let's poke and prod her a little bit.

"Yuffie, is there anybody you like?" Forget about delicacy, time is of the essence here. I'd rather not skirt around the issue. A straightforward question demands a straightforward answer.

I observe a hitch in her walking rhythm. "What's this all of a sudden? Are you trying to change the subject? I'm still mad at you."

"Fine, stay mad at me, but at least answer the question," I reply. "A simple yes or no is enough."

"In that case…yes. There is someone." Condition one cleared.

"Is it anyone I know?" I tease.

"I thought a simple yes or no was enough?" she argues.

"Once you say yes, you gotta answer everything else. Haven't you heard? Once you pop, you can't stop."

"Don't make up random rules just to get me to answer," she whines. She's not budging. I wonder if there's anything I can say to grease her lips.

"Look, the only reason I'm asking is because I want to help you out. If he's someone close, I have a feeling he might like you back."

She looks over her shoulder and raises a brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Because you're a lifesaver, my best friend, and a really awesome girl."

"Keep going…"

"And I should've listened to you, and you're right about everything, and…what else is there to say about you? I'm drawing a blank here."

"Call me…_great ninja master Yuffie_." Is that why she's wielding kunai? That little detail certainly adds an element of novelty to her character.

"Yes, of course, you're the great ninja master Yuffie."

She cups her ear. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"You're the GREAT NINJA MASTER YUFFIE!"

She winces. Hey, she asked for it. "Okay then, I guess I can give you a few answers, but remember, a ninja never reveals her secrets!"

"I thought that was magicians."

"Same difference," she says, waving it off. "What's your question again?"

"The guy you like, is it someone I know?"

"Oh…uh…yeah. He is," she answers coyly. Very interesting...

"Is there something preventing you two from being together?" Like a longstanding friendship forged from our very childhoods?

"Yes. You can say that." I can tell I'm getting warmer.

"Is his hair…brown?"

"It is…" she answers quietly.

"Are his eyes…blue?"

She nods.

Oh come on, this isn't even a game anymore. "Does he go to our school?"

"Yup."

She digs me. She totally digs me, but just for the hell of it, I'll ask one more question. "Does his name start with an S?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's—"

"You got me," she says, sighing. "It's Squall."

"Squ—WHO?"

"I thought I kept it secret too! You really figured me out out, huh?" she rambles.

I am shocked. I'm not the—but isn't she—what? "Squall, as in—"

"Your homeroom teacher. Mr. Leonhart, although, he doesn't like to be called Squall, but that won't stop me from calling him that," she says, giggling. "It's just too bad that he's a teacher and I'm a student. Even if we're not in the same class, we can never be together." So that's the barrier preventing her from a wonderful illicit teacher-student relationship? I feel so dumb for getting excited about her. I guess she's only my childhood friend and nothing more.

I'm kind of disappointed. If she really was my ending, I'd been setting off into the sunset by now. At least I can cross her off my list now. With this, there are only two girls I have to worry about: Kairi and Naminé. The only one I haven't truly tested is Naminé.

We reach my house. I look at Yuffie, who seems to be embarrassed after revealing her secret crush. Her nervous, blushing face makes me smile. It's really cute. If it was her, I wouldn't mind. She's already saved my ass two times so far, and she's the most normal one out of all the girls here. No gangster family background, no psychotic attempts at robbing my virtue, and no turning me into senseless mush with her mere presence. She's perfect when I think about it.

"That's a shame," I let out.

"Why's that?" she says, confused.

"I was really starting to like you," I admit, not that it means anything at this point. "Guess there's nothing I can do about it now."

"W-What are you saying? Don't joke with me here, we're best friends!"

"So? That means I can't like you? It makes more sense if you think about it…" I muse, rubbing my chin. "Anyways, I'll see you later." I spin on my heels and enter my house.

Two down. Two left. I've already taken care of Kairi, so that just leaves Naminé. That's a tall order, considering Riku is being a major cockblock about it. If I can somehow remove him from the picture, I might get enough alone time with Naminé to see if there's anything between us. There's gotta be a reason why this "Sora" turns into sap around her.

I run up the stairs and open the door to my room.

"Hello…_brother_." It's Xion and she's lying on my bed, half-naked, in black lingerie, in a provocative pose.

I close the door and make sure that I'm not hallucinating. I open the door again and she's still there. "How did you get home so fast?" I ask her.

She cranes her neck as if to invite kisses. "I thought about it and decided that I can't possibly decide between you two. If I can't settle on one, then I'll just have both of you!" This girl is certifiably insane. _I'm_ the protagonist of this harem story—not you!

Whoa, I just got the most brilliant idea. "I'm afraid that's not possible. You haven't proven yourself to be worthy enough for my affections."

She straightens up, having gotten a whiff of opportunity. It's like throwing candy at a baby. "What do you mean?"

"I won't even consider you a girl unless you can seduce someone successfully. How many times have you've failed with me?" I cackle.

"Too many to count!" she gasps, slamming her fists together.

"That's right! In order to prove your worth, I want you to seduce Riku first. Then and only then will I even see you as a woman. It should be easy for you, since you already like him."

"Seduce Riku… And if I do that, then you'll finally accept my love?"

"Of course," I lie. "Once you do that, I'll happily join your threesomes whenever you want."

"Threesomes…anytime I want?" She's already drooling. She jumps out of my bed and bows down. "Yes, brother! I understand. I'll seduce him right away!"

"Wait, not today, you must do it tomorrow. Got it?"

She nods vigorously. "Understood! I can't be too hasty. I need to buy some more duct tape and rope!" She leaves my room with a bounce in her step. More duct tape and rope? A shudder runs through me. Sorry Riku, but it's either you or me.

It's a great plan if I do say so myself: to sic my sick sister on him. I bask in my genius. Obviously, my promises to her are false. There's no way I'll play fiddle to her bedroom tricycle. Maybe if it was Xion and Yuffie then—ugh, what am I thinking? My mind is still poisoned. I need to detox with a good shower.

I'll spare you the sexy details of my steamy shower and cut to the part where I'm on the verge of passing out on my bed.

To summarize, I woke up this morning with my half-naked stepsister sleeping beside me, but I was saved by my childhood best friend. On the way to school, I ran into a new transfer student who kicked my ass throughout the day. I found out that I'm in love with the class rep and that she has her own freakin' fanclub. The transfer student who kicked my ass earlier comes from a family of gangsters, and her personal bodyguard made me shit my pants. And on the way home, my sister drugged me and dragged me to a love hotel and almost succeeded in bedding me, but the timely intervention of my ninja master best friend saved my ass, yet again.

Wake me up when it's tomorrow morning.

I black out.

This again?

What a tiresome plot device.

You'd think I'd come up with something more creative than another dream sequence, but I find myself lost in another foggy forest. Not a city, but a forest this time…

I walk around and think about ways to end this. Is this scene timed? Am I gonna have to wait a couple hours before I wake up? Or do I have to trigger some sort of event? I don't even know where I'm going. The fog is too thick. It's like somebody set off a truck of smoke bombs. The mist reduces the world to vague silhouettes. I can only see a couple feet before me. If not for my vigilance, I would've walked into a few trees already.

A low growl echoes through the forest.

That does not sound good. I spin around but see nothing. This is too dangerous, even if it's not real. I stumble forward and look for something to climb. I stretch out my palm until it hits the uneven surface of a tree. Whatever's out there can't chase me if I'm up high. I wrap my arms around the trunk and climb. I make it about five feet up when the tree suddenly shakes.

"Whoa!" I tighten my grip and look down. "A wild boar?"

It's the world's most dangerous pig. It's big, fast, and it's even got tusks. The size of this one is abnormally large. Must be dream proportions. The boar charges into the tree again.

"Cut that out!" I scream. What's got him so riled up? Aren't animals supposed to avoid human contact? But this is a dream, and logic doesn't work in dreams. I try to get higher but the creature continues to pound against the tree. Poor thing must be stupid. It keeps slamming its head against the trunk like something's gonna change. As if hearing my thoughts, the boar disappears into the fog.

Too obvious. I'm not falling for that. I keep watch from above when I see an incoming shadow. It transforms into the boar and runs straight into the tree again. This is why animals are stupid. They just don't have the intelligence to—

The tree begins to sway. Trees aren't supposed to sway, are they? I look down at the point of impact and realize that the boar's been cutting the tree with its tusks. Are you kidding me?

The tree finally topples and I'm sent flying towards the ground.

"NO!" I shout, rising from my bed in cold sweat. "Ugh…" I rub my head and look around. There's a note on my pillow.

_I'm sorry I won't be there when you wake up, but rest assured, I'll be seducing Riku with all my might!_

_Love Love Xion_

_P.S. Extra Love!_

Even her notes are freaky. I crumple the note into a ball before shooting it into the trashcan in the corner of the room. Three points! I get off the mattress and start prepping for the day. When I emerge from the bathroom, all dressed and ready to go, I see Yuffie looking under my bed.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

She sits up straight. "Oh, I'm just checking for bugs."

"Bugs?"

"Yeah, a big one, named Xion."

"She's already left," I inform her.

Yuffie stands up and crosses her arm. "Really? That's not like her. I usually have to pry her off you every morning." My spine tingles after hearing that.

"Let's just go to school."

We leave my house and set course for Destiny High. It's a refreshing walk. I didn't get to experience this yesterday because I got ditched. This pleasant feeling must be what they call a beautiful friendship. It's a therapeutic experience. There's really nothing like taking a walk with your best friend.

"Hey Yuffie," I say, catching her attention.

"Hm? What is it?"

"How did we become friends?"

Her face darkens. "You forgot?"

"N-No, I'm just checking if you remembered."

"Who do you think I am?"

"My best friend? The great ninja master Yuffie?"

That perks her up. "Ya damn right! Now let's hurry up before we're late!" She displays her ninja speed and flies ahead of me, leaving me in the dust.

I'm not even gonna try. At least she had the decency to wait until school was in sight before jetting off. I let out a small smile though. Sometimes, you just gotta enjoy the small scenes in a story. If the writer takes the time to write it out, doesn't that make it important somehow?

Nah, it's just filler.

"Sora!" My thoughts are interrupted by a screeching loser—it's just Roxas. He waves at me from the school gate. "Yo!"

I slow my pace on purpose just to make him wait a little longer. He continues waving his hands like it'll speed me up. Ha, not on your life. After three agonizing minutes of slow walking, I meet him.

"You're kind of slow today," he observes.

"Only for you, my friend." I walk past him so I can get to class quicker.

"Hey, where are you going?" He catches up to me. "I've been thinking about it, and I think I should do some more stuff today."

"For what?"

"You know! So I can show off. I get the feeling I haven't been playing a big part lately." Is he becoming sentient? Does he realize that we're just in a story?

"Listen to me very carefully. Trees don't talk or walk. They just stand there like trees. So play your role, and stand still until everything's over."

"What?"

I ignore him and enter my classroom. I march over to my desk and take my seat. I need a good opportunity to catch Naminé.

"I still don't get what you mean by acting like a tree," Roxas says, swooping in from behind. I thought I lost him? Oh yeah, I forgot we're in the same class. What an annoying guy. Can't he take a hint?

"There are two kinds of characters in this world: main characters, and guys like you who get an occasional line."

"What? Come on, surely I deserve more than an occasional line. Remember how much I helped you with your amnesia? Don't I get some credit for that?"

"Alright class, settle down," the teacher orders. "Let's take roll." Damn it, already? I look over to Naminé's seat and she's there, quietly fulfilling her duty as class rep. I missed my chance. Damn you, Roxas! Stop blabbering at the worst times!

I take a deep breath and pretend to listen to the lesson. I stare at Mr. Leonhart prancing around the front of the classroom in his oh-so-cool demeanor. His lectures are rather deadpan. This is the guy Yuffie likes? He's got looks, I admit, but the guy's a horrible teacher. I will not be doomed to mediocrity because he deemed it so. I can rise above my station if I want to.

I tap my fingers out of boredom. My eyes go to the clock. Is that hand moving at all? Please move faster. I thump my head against the desk. I spin a pencil between my fingers.

I take out a piece of paper and start folding an airplane. After I finish, I unfold it and tear the paper in two pieces. I take one half and fold it into a paper crane. On the other half, I draw happy faces and stick figures. I start drawing half-crescent moons and stars above the figures.

I breathe hot air into my hands and rub my palms against my cheeks.

"Hey Sora!" I look up to see Kairi standing anxiously over me. I look around. The students have congregated into their little social groups. It's break already? My eyes wander around the room but Naminé is nowhere to be found. Just my luck.

"What's up?" I greet back.

"So, do you think you can hang out with me after school today? Don't worry, I have it all planned out. First, we'll get something to eat, and then after that—"

"I don't need to know details. Keep everything a surprise, okay?"

She nods strongly. "Keep it a surprise, yeah, why didn't I think of that?" She giggles. "You won't regret it!"

I grin weakly. Something tells me I'm in for a ride. "Can you excuse me? I gotta er…use the restroom."

"Sure sure."

I push my chair back and stand up. I exit the classroom and scan the hallways. Where the hell is she? I search the school during the short break but find no trace of Naminé. By the time I return to class, she's in her seat like she never left. She notices my stare and smiles.

Oh crap, not again! I rush to my seat before delirium can set in. Too late, I'm already hallucinating bubbles and flowers!

I put my head down and wait for the effects to wear off. What's up with this girl and why does she affect me so? I chew on my shirt collar to stave off lingering delusions. I swear I can hear angels singing.

After I've covered my collar in saliva and bite marks, I hear a tapping on my desk. I straighten up to see the offender. It's Naminé. Another wave of sweet infatuation hits me. Why fight against it? I might as well enjoy this feeling of temporary bliss.

"What's going on Naminé?" I say dumbly, grinning like an idiot.

"I was wondering," she says quietly. My eyes lock onto her lips. They look so moist and pink; I just want to lick them already. No good. I have to resist!

I turn my head to the side to avoid looking at her. She's too dangerous for a head-on gaze. "Wondering about what?" I eek out.

"Do you know where Riku is?" The question brings me out of my funk instantly.

"I have no idea." Interesting, she's looking for Riku? Is there something going on between them?

"Oh, I thought you would know since you two were such good friends."

I fake a laugh. "Sorry, but I have no clue where he could be. Why are you looking for him?"

"Um…he's supposed to help me with my duties after class. We're cleaning up the classroom together."

I cross my arms and close my eyes. "Even though he's not in our class?"

"It's a favor from the class rep of 3-B." I'm assuming that's the name of Riku's classroom.

I nod. "Makes sense."

"But if he's not around, then there won't be anyone to help me…" This is my chance!

"May I suggest myself for the position?" I raise.

"Would you really? Thanks a lot; I knew I could count on you!" She gives me a grin that reduces my insides to slush.

"N-N-N-No problem," I stutter.

She walks away in good spirits.

My eyes go to the clock and I realize it's lunch time. I shake my head disbelievingly. What was I worrying about? I totally forgot the nature of this story. It's a school romance and the typical format demands extraordinary results for minimal input from the main character. I can sit right here and a love triangle will arise spontaneously just because. There's nothing remarkable about me, yet there are girls tripping over themselves just to get at me. To be popular without putting in any effort. Isn't that the dream? I should've expected Naminé to come over and extend such an obvious invitation for romance to me. It's the nature of the genre.

Anticipation slows the clock as the day crawls by. It's annoying, but I have to suffer through it. According to the set-up, Naminé is the last name on my list of "romantic interests." I wonder if my feelings for her are gonna manifest into anything serious—like an ending.

**RINGINGINGING!**

Praise the bell! I stand up and turn to the class rep. Gotta be careful here. I walk slowly and make sure my eyes on trained on the wall behind her. "So, do you wanna get started?"

"I'll be right back; I have to check in with the student council first."

"That's fine." The urge to piss strikes me. "On second thought, I'm gonna go use the restroom real quick." I run out and make a beeline for the boy's room. If I remember correctly, it should be down this hall to the right and—there! I kick the door in and find an open urinal.

After I finish my business, I walk back to class. Nothing like a bit of relief to start off the afternoon. I enter the classroom and it's completely empty except for one student: Naminé. Everybody must've been in a hurry to get out.

"Hey," I greet from afar. I squint and notice that she's sitting on a desk with a tea set in front of her. There are two cups and a pot. She picks up a cup and takes a sip. A calm and relaxed expression graces her face.

"Hello Sora. Would like to join me?"

"Uh…sure." I have no idea what's going on, but this seems like the perfect chance to level up my relationship. I take a seat and glance at her. Giddiness washes over me and a dumb grin paints my face. "So…are we cleaning the classroom?" I can hardly sit straight. I'm bouncing like a bunny high on carotene.

"Have some tea first. You seem quite fidgety. It should calm your nerves."

I laugh nervously. "So you've noticed…" I take the cup and it rattles in my hand. Stay still! I stabilize my fingers long enough to take a small sip. My body suddenly relaxes. "Wow, this stuff really works. I'm not really a big fan of tea, but uheraawreeeghhh…"

Shit. Not again.

Everything goes black.

My eyes open up to familiar surroundings. This foggy place again? I try to get up but I can't. My body's immobile. I look down and see why. There's a giant gaping hole in my stomach and tons of blood seep out from the wound. I clench my teeth tightly. The pain is intense. I try to move my limbs but they're numb. Coldness spreads from my core. Damn it. Am I gonna die here? I know I'm in a dream, but still, I'm gonna die here? This ain't no joke. It really feels like this is it.

"_Shhhh…_" a voice says soothingly. "_Don't move, you'll be alright. You did a good thing today. You were quite brave._" Where the heck is that voice coming from?

I spot a shadow in the mist. It's getting closer. Who is it? Is this the same shadow I was chasing in my previous dream? Right when the shadow is about to step out, I wake up.

I really hate it when dreams do that. For once, can I get a satisfying conclusion?

Where am I now? I look down and see that my feet are bound together by tape. I'm sitting on the floor and my hands are tied behind my back against a desk leg. Déjà vu. Did Xion drug me again? No, that's not right. The last thing I remember was drinking tea with Naminé. The tea! It was drugged? Wait, why the hell is it drugged?

"I see you're finally awake," Naminé's voice announces ominously.

I look up and instead of experiencing pleasant butterflies, dread settles into my stomach. The trauma from yesterday hits me with full force. "N-Naminé, what's going on here?" I stammer out.

She sits before me like a queen on her throne. Her legs are crossed and she stares down at me with contempt. "I haven't been able to find Riku, so I thought you would make a suitable replacement," she reveals.

I don't say anything for awhile. This is ridiculous! How many times am I gonna be drugged and tied up? I shake my head and concentrate on the task at hand. I gotta figure out the situation first. "Replacement for what?"

A devilish grin appears. "You should be honored, Sora. Only the president of my little fanclub has the pleasure of serving me."

"Serving you?" I don't like where this is going.

She unfolds her legs and I get a clear look at her panties. Pure white. My view is interrupted when her foot stops several inches before my face. She slowly pulls the stocking off until it's unclothed. Why is there a bare foot floating in front of me?

"Lick it," she orders.

Did she really just—? Oh god, oh god, oh god, this cannot be happening! You cannot be serious!

"What are you waiting for? Lick it!" she yells.

All my feelings for her disappear in a flash and I'm left with unrestrained horror. This must be the BAD END, it has to be.

I turn my face to the side. "What if I refuse?"

She stomps on my head and digs her heels into my hair. "Then you'll have to be punished, obviously. Hmmm…" she hums. "Your hair feels rather nice, much better than Riku's." Is that supposed to make me feel better? She's not delicate at all! My head bounces in weird angles as she continues to rub her feet all over my scalp. Somebody kill me. What did I do to deserve this treatment? I'm no more than dirt beneath her shoe! She plants a hard foot against my forehead. "Do you understand? Now lick my foot."

**SLAP!**

"Ouch!" Did I just get…foot slapped? "OW!" This time, it comes from the other cheek. I think I'm gonna cry now.

"Are those tears?" she mocks gleefully. "Keep crying Sora; it only turns me on even more," she declares, licking her lips.

I really have no choice, do I? If I'm standing in for Riku, then what the hell have they been doing this entire time? A master-slave role play? They're totally insane. I knew something was off about that boy. He's a total masochist and she's a sadist! "Aren't you the class rep?" I bring up desperately.

She rolls her eyes. "Please, that's just a front to lure in fresh and innocent boys like you. Don't worry; you'll come to like it, just like the rest of them." The rest of them? Then the fanclub is secretly a stable of guys for her to dominate? This school romance has suddenly turned into school horror! "Stick your tongue out," she commands.

The choice between getting foot slapped and sticking my tongue out ain't no choice at all. I reluctantly open my mouth and lean forward to lick her foot.

There. I did it. Is she happy now?

She grabs my hair and pulls me down harshly. "Put a little more enthusiasm in it and call me master. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yeah," I mutter.

"Yeah, what?"

"Yes, master!"

It's just a foot. It's no different than licking any other body part, not that I go around licking body parts for the fun of it, but considering that I'm tied up like a Thanksgiving turkey, I don't have too many options here. I run my tongue across her appendage.

"There you go…"

I press my tongue against her forcefully, feeling out the curvature and structure of her foot. My tongue caresses the folds and wrinkles underneath. I've never licked a foot before and I can't say it's entirely unpleasant, but being drugged and tied up beforehand tends to color the experience in a bad light. She suddenly shoves her toes into my mouth.

"Suck it," she demands.

I follow the directive. Her face contorts in sick pleasure as tiny moans escape from her throat. What a sick bitch. She wiggles her toe and squirms inside. This is a total violation of my mouth!

Is there anyone out there who can save me? Please, I beg of you, somebody help me!

**KRACK!**

The door to the classroom suddenly breaks open. Yes!

"No way, I thought I locked the door!" Naminé cries out.

"Sora! Are you in here!" a voice yells out. When the dust clears, I see my savior. It's…Kairi? She spots me and smiles, but then notices Naminé's toe in my mouth. Her face falls tragically. Oh shit, that's right, I totally forgot. I was supposed to meet her after school. She glares at me with shock, hurt, and disgust. Her shoulders begin to shake with rage. "SORA! I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID. YOU'RE A PERVERT!" She charges after me from the classroom entrance like a red bull.

Naminé, sensing the danger, pulls out and gets out of the way.

I sigh warily.

**BOOM!**

She kicks both me and desk with extreme force, sending us flying against the window, shattering it into pieces. I look down and see that I'm floating several stories high. I sail through the air and glass shards spin before me. I'm still tied to the desk and there's nothing to break my fall except for hard concrete below. The desk is gonna be drag me down to my doom. I'm gonna die, aren't I?

This is how it all ends? I get drugged, tied up, and forced to suck on toes only to get launched outside the classroom window? My time here was short-lived, but eventful. I have no regrets. I close my eyes and brace myself for the BAD END.

**Shwip! Shwip!**

The tape binding my limbs loosen unexpectedly. I'm no longer tied to the desk. My arms and legs, now free, flail wildly. Two hands catch my back and I feel my trajectory shift. I open my eyes in surprise and see Yuffie grinning down at me. She's holding me bridal style.

"W-What?"

She winks at me before adopting a determined gaze. In an impressive show of ninja acrobatics, she slows our descent by pushing off the walls with her feet, ricocheting between flat surfaces until we land safely in front of the school fountain.

She sets me down and I land on my feet. I let out the breath I've been holding in. I look up to Yuffie and she's acting nonchalant. I smile before crushing her in a hug.

"H-Hey!" she yelps.

"Thanks for saving my ass for the third time," I say gratefully.

"I-It's no problem," she stammers out, patting my back hesitantly.

I back away and sit down on the fountain edge. My legs are still quivering from the adrenaline rush. "You're the only one I can rely on. Thanks Yuffie."

She puts her hands on her hips and shoots me a stern look. "Do you know how much trouble you caused me? You're lucky I was outside when I saw you flying out the window." She takes the seat next to me. "When you didn't show up after school today, I thought Xion captured you again, so I started searching the school. I stumbled upon her but…" She grimaces. "She and Riku were doing…unspeakable things."

If Riku's a masochist, then he must feel right at home with Xion's brand of binding seduction. He's found a new master. Talk about two peas in a pod. They're perfect for each other.

"I returned to the front of the school and met that new transfer student, Kairi. She told me you guys were going to hang out! When did you two become such good friends?"

"It just…sorta happened, but I don't think we're gonna be friends anymore," I say wearily.

"Why's that?"

"She thinks I'm a pervert, and she saw me doing something weird, but it was totally against my will! That's why I was kicked out of the classroom," I explain quickly.

Yuffie stares at me disbelievingly. "Whatever, since you promised to hang out with her, I thought I would just go home but then…well, you know."

"Yeah…"

So what now? Where is my ending? The last ten minutes eliminated any possibility with Kairi and Naminé. Kairi hates me now, Naminé is too wicked, Xion's found a new slave, and Yuffie already likes Squall. Did I get the genre wrong? Is this really not a school romance? I lean back, look up at the sky, and watch the clouds glide. Maybe this is just…my reality.

No, that's impossible. I've already experienced rewinds. This is definitely a story.

"Sora…" my best friend calls.

"Yes?" I acknowledge, turning to her.

She places her hand on top of mine. My face turns red at the sudden action. "The truth is...Squall's not the one I like. It's true that I admire him but…the one that I've always liked is…"

"Me?" I fill in.

"Yup." She grins. "You."

My chest wells up with a foreign emotion. Is it relief? No, it's something more than that. It's happiness. I feel like I'm floating. Those feelings with Naminé are nothing compared to this. This is genuine happiness. I can't contain myself and I start laughing in pure joy. I squeeze her hand and look into her eyes. This must be the power of love. She's so much more beautiful than before.

"I like you too," I confess. "I wasn't lying when we were talking yesterday. I think, deep down inside, I've always liked you." This isn't just _Sora_ talking. This is _me_ talking.

In a story, looks don't mean anything because I can safely assume that every love interest is going to be cute, hot, or beautiful. Personality is the true currency of relationships, and Yuffie has the best one. She's got me covered since I woke up in this world. I can understand Xion a little bit. Being saved by someone brings out tender feelings of appreciation. It's easy to mistake gratitude for love, but Yuffie's been doing this for my entire life. I can just feel it. The Sora of this world feels the same way. If this Sora wasn't so hung up Naminé, then he would've realized it a lot sooner. What's the batting average for childhood friends? About .500? Typically, the "new girl" always wins out, but not this time. I don't know who's luckier: me or her?

"Do you know the reason why I became a ninja?" she asks me.

"I'm kinda surprised ninjas exist at all." I thought her being a ninja was bringing this story into a new direction, but it's just a character quirk.

She giggles. "There are two types of ninja: those who assassinate and those who protect."

"I feel sorry for your targets."

"Idiot, I became a ninja to protect someone: you."

The declaration makes me giddy inside. "Why?" I reply curiously.

"You probably don't remember this, but we went on a school trip together when we were kids. We were in the same class and it was out in the woods."

"Out in the woods?" This sounds familiar.

"Yeah. It was a foggy day when I got separated from the main group. I was lost. When you guys returned to camp, the teachers finally noticed I was missing. They told everybody to stay put while they went out and searched for me. You didn't listen. You went out searching by yourself. The funny thing? You were the first one to find me."

I obviously don't remember this, but neither does this world's "Sora." Then those flashback sequences were meant for this world's "Sora," not me.

"You found me, but we weren't out of the woods yet. That's when a wild dog suddenly attacked us. I remember feeling so…scared and frightened. But not you, you stood in front of me and protected me. You fought him off but you got hurt badly. I remember crying over your body. There was so much blood…I was afraid you died. The fog finally lifted and the adults were able to find us. They carried you back to camp and you had to go to the hospital." It was a somber story. I can't imagine how bad she felt. Our emotions are intensified when we're that young. "I'm sorry."

"Isn't it several years too late for an apology?" I joke. She doesn't laugh. "Was that…how we became friends?"

"No. You didn't even remember me when I visited you in the hospital. You forgot the incident ever happened. That's why I promised myself that I would never let you get hurt again. I'll always protect you, Sora."

My heart beats quickly upon hearing her promise. I feel warm and safe around her. This is some role reversal. Aren't guys supposed to play the role of knight? It doesn't feel bad though. It just demonstrates the depth of her feelings for me. "You're my knight in shining armor, aren't you?"

"No…I'm just your ninja watching over you from the shadows," she says, grinning.

There always a heroic deed behind every romance. Just ask Xion. Yuffie likes me because I saved her from a wild dog, and I like Yuffie because she saved me from carnivorous women. It sounds kind of shallow, but love isn't an exact science. Who are we to discount our feelings? Isn't that what love is about? Being rescued from our dull lives? I can't deny my feelings for her. Whether it developed because of this story or because I was written to hold them, the heart of the matter is—I like Yuffie. From the very start of this story, she's been the only one to support me—other than you, of course.

Her hand feels soft, but more importantly, it feels right.

"Yuffie…"

"Sora…"

This is it. The only thing left for us to do is kiss. We lean towards each other and our eyes flutter. I close them and anticipate the feeling of her moist lips against mine. My heart fires on all cylinders, pumping blood like there's no tomorrow. It's about to leap right outside my chest. I'm so nervous I can scream. Just a few more seconds and I'll kiss the love of my life. For once, me and Sora are in complete sync. We both want this. We both need this. She's the one.

Anytime now… Come on, hurry up! What's the hold up?

I open my eyes and she's frozen. I guess I'm the one who has to come in. Wait, I don't hear anything, not even the water from the fountain. I turn to it and the gushing water sprouting from the pipes is completely frozen in mid-air. Crap! I stand up and look around. Birds are stuck in the sky, leaves are floating in place, and there's not a single sound to be heard. The story has stopped.

"SCREW YOU GOD QUILL! Out of all the times, you have to stop now! You piece of crap! Argggh! Does nothing ever go my way? All this progress for nothing?" I lash out at the air and kick my feet around. "Wait." I take a few steps forward and backwards. I make a complete circle around the fountain and gasp. It's not rewinding. The story has stopped! That means I've reached the end.

I fall to my knees and tears of relief pour out. Finally! Praise the God Quill! You know what that means? It's finally time to write out an ending.

I stick out my arm and call upon the God Quill. It pops up in my hand in a burst of magical sparkles. In my other hand, I call out my bottle of magical ink.

Holy shit. That's a lot of ink! It's way more than enough. You've been busy helping me out, huh? This is gonna make things easy.

I look back at Yuffie and my heart aches. Damn it. I didn't expect this. To end this story means I'll have to say goodbye to her. The thought hurts. Something wet falls on my hand.

I'm crying?

I try to laugh it off but the tears keep coming. It's stupid. I know it's stupid. It's a completely rushed romance but still, I've got this feeling for her and it's not a plot contrivance. It's real. I love her. I really do. I've only known her for five chapters, but that's enough time for love to bloom.

I rub my eyes and try to get a hold of myself. It's never easy saying goodbye. I'm gonna be carrying this weight for the rest of my journey.

Alright. Time to end this on a happy note:

_**We kiss and it's the most electrifying moment of our lives. We know instinctively that this is the start of something new and beautiful. We pull away from each other and exchange smiles. There's nothing stopping us now. **_

_**They say that love is a million-to-one shot, but we were lucky. We defied the cosmic odds and found each other. So what if we were still kids? True love transcends barriers. For every tale of heartbreak, infidelity, and tragedy, there is one like us, a tale of searing and unbreakable love. **_

_**Seeing us together changed Kairi's view of me and the three of us became great friends. Her secret eventually came out and everybody became afraid of her, but Yuffie and I never left her side. **_

_**When Destiny High came under attack by a rival school of delinquents, Kairi took up the mantle of guardian and single-handedly kicked their asses. She became the school's savior and everybody finally accepted her, realizing how great she really was. She wasn't lacking in friends any more.**_

_**Auron watched from the bushes proudly. Satisfied that Kairi had friends to support her, he retired as a bodyguard and decided to become a cook at a small restaurant. He made some pretty mean sandwiches.**_

_**Xion, plunged into a new world of Riku's depravity, found that he alone was enough to satisfy her cravings, and they became the hottest couple at school, and the most twisted at home. I could hear hellish screams emanating from her room. She said I was no longer necessary and that was perfectly fine by me. **_

_**Naminé dropped her goody two-shoes act and presented herself for who she really was: a cold-hearted cruel queen of the school. Her slaves gladly served her openly. By dropping the act, she became even more desirable and the boys were just lining up to get stomped on.**_

_**Mr. Leonhart was nominated as teacher of the year only to fall short when it was revealed that he encouraged average students to stay average. Serves that douche right.**_

_**As for Roxas...well, nobody cares about him. **_

"Hey, I care! Don't I deserve a happy ending too?" he yells desperately.

No.

**THE END**


	7. Checkmark

**Checkmark**

Have you ever fallen in love in a dream before?

It's a bittersweet feeling… An all too brief moment of bliss, and with one blink of an eye, it's gone. She was everything I wanted in a girl: sweet, funny, strong—so strong, and beautiful. She made me happy. My heart aches for her. I know it wasn't real, but how can I deny this feeling? Sadness cries out from the depths of my soul. This emotion is genuine. It doesn't matter if it was illusory, because for one fleeting moment, I knew love. And like a dream, she fades away.

I wake up in a car.

More accurately, I'm in an SUV. I'm strapped in the front seat and beside me is Riku, the driver. We're driving through a mountain road. To the left is a rocky mountain side and to the right is a cliff. The green forest stretches out for miles. Vestiges of sleep cling to my body and make me sluggish. I shake it off and rub my eyes. The car radio spills out the latest pop hit but it sounds horrible.

I'm in a new story. What are the chances this is my real home? Not likely. I pull down the vanity mirror and look at myself. All my basic features are in place. Blue eyes? Check. Brown hair? Check. I don't seem to have any weird alterations like excessive makeup, funky piercings, or facial deformities. The only thing that catches my eye is the crown medallion hanging around my neck. It's heavy, so I know it's the real deal—none of that fake metal stuff. A face pops up in the mirror behind me.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," says Kairi. She grins at me in the reflection. There are more people behind her. I angle the mirror and spot Roxas and Naminé, and behind them are Hayner and Olette.

"Hello," I greet back. I guess we're all friends; either that or I'm being kidnapped. I turn around and check out everybody. Kairi is sitting next to some luggage and a cooler. She's wearing a light sweatshirt with a skirt. Behind her are the other four looking cozy together. They're immediately identifiable by their hair color and style. One look at that and their names leap out to me. Kairi is smiling curiously. "Do I know you?"

She jabs my forehead with her fingers. "Don't be stupid."

Riku laughs. "Did you forget where we're going?"

"I could use a refresher. What's our destination?" I need to figure out where I am—and who I am. I start searching my pockets for my wallet. I pull it out and open it up.

"We're going to my uncle's cabin in the woods. It's on the lake," Riku says.

According to the student ID, I'm a senior at Lake Forest High. I must've been scraping the bottom of the barrel for that name—assuming this _is a_ story. That puts me around seventeen years old. "What's the occasion?"

"Graduation," Kairi answers. "This is our last summer vacation together. After this, we're all going our separate ways." She sounded wistful. I can't share her sentimentality. Everybody here is a stranger to me even though I know all their names. I've met them in another life, but the couple in the back is new. At least I think so. I'm not too sure. My memory is fuzzy.

"Sorry for dragging you along, but it's not like we can leave you all alone by yourself," Riku tells me.

"Who's we?" I look between Riku and Kairi. They have some sort of connected aura. "Are you guys going out?"

They burst in laughter. "What's wrong with you? You're dumber than usual today. We've been going out for a year already," Kairi explains.

I stroke my chin thoughtfully. "I see…" Riku and Kairi, Roxas and Naminé, Hayner and Olette… "Where's my girlfriend?"

"That's what we want to know," Riku says. I'll take that as "You don't have one."

"So you guys decided to drag me along on your couple's retreat?"

"Pretty much. I'm sure we could all use the break. Especially Kairi, since her parents are away right now."

"Are they on their own summer trip?"

"Something like that," Kairi says. "Anyways, trips are better with more people." Kairi turns to the backseat. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah, thanks for the invite," Roxas says. The pairs murmur in agreement. "And we couldn't leave you alone, man. Enjoy nature!"

"And there you have it," Riku says.

They were just feeling sorry for me. I'm only here on a pity invite. Once again, I've stepped into the shoes of an unremarkable individual.

"Hey Riku, you think you can pull over?" Hayner asks.

"What for?"

"I need to take a piss."

Olette smacks him on the arm. "You don't have to say it like that."

"Why didn't you go back at the gas station?" Riku looks into the rearview mirror and sees Hayner shrug.

"I didn't feel like it."

"Speaking of the gas station, do you remember the old guy?" Naminé asks.

"The attendant, right? He told us to be careful out there," Roxas replied.

"He gave me the creeps."

"When you live this far out, you can get kind of loopy, I bet." Roxas does his best impression of the man, "_Bee careful out dere, ya hear, evil lurks in the woods_!"

Naminé laughs.

I notice the radio is churning out static. "Hey, what's up with the radio?"

"I think we just drove out of range. You can change it if you want," Riku says.

I mess around with the dials until I pick up a station.

"—_the weather is going to be clear for the whole weekend, but keep your eyes peeled. People have been reporting sightings of strange lights over the woods. It does not appear to be the result of natural phenomena. Scorch marks have been found in the forest grounds and trees have been charred. Park rangers are looking into the matter, but these sightings have increased in—"_

"—_military officials are still looking into the disappearance of one of their aircraft. It is believed to have crash-landed somewhere. According to leaked documents, the plane is carrying some type of dangerous biochemical substance that, if released, may pose serious health—"_

"—_that's the fourth disappearance this month. They couldn't find anything except for traces of blood. The police are still searching, but who knows where they went? I'm telling you, something fishy is going on—"_

"—_police are still looking for a patient who escaped from the mental asylum. The patient is extremely dangerous and was being treated for hyper violent behavior. The patient was involved in the infamous case where five teenagers were brutally murdered and mutila—"_

"—_recent cases of vandalism on church property has the community concerned. Some people have called the graffiti 'blasphemous' in nature. It doesn't appear to be work of one man, but many. Some people feel that satanic cults may be responsible—"_

What the hell? Every one of these "news reports" is a terrible set up for…

A cabin in the woods, a freaky old guy, numerous radio reports, and a bunch of horny teenagers… This is not going to end well. I had my suspicions, but this was the last nail on our coffins. We're in a horror story.

"Guys, I'm not trying to scare you or anything," I disclaim, "but I think we may be in for a nasty surprise if we don't turn around and get our asses out of here."

"Why's that?" Kairi asks. Oh, I don't know, maybe because there might be aliens, psychopathic killers, hillbillies, ghosts, demons, and zombies out there?

"Trust me. I know the set up. For all I know, we're gonna walk in on the goddamned Cthulu."

"Tulu who?"

"Cthu—"

An explosion fills my ears and my body is flung forward—the seatbelt holds me tight, digging into my chest, and stops my face from smashing into the dashboard by mere inches. The windshield shatters and fragments fly at me. The world is a blur, chaotic, and incomprehensible—and screeching tires mix in with our screams. The SUV careens into a guardrail—a sickening crunch of steel. I slam against the side window—we're tilting! The metal groans and the guardrail gives way—a sensation of weightlessness—we're in freefall.

Talk about a cliffhang—


	8. A Grisly Start

**A Grisly Start**

I'm not dead.

Did you have any doubt about my survival? The main character can't die in the beginning, especially when it's in first-person—unless I'm a ghost, but that kind of twist is too cliché.

My head is pounding and my body hurts all over—proof that I'm still alive. I can feel my limbs, which is a good sign. Just because I'm guaranteed to survive doesn't mean I'll get out without a single scratch. I could've lost a leg or something. How's everyone else doing? Considering the nature of horror, I won't be surprised if one of my "friends" is already dead.

I lift my head from the airbag. The last thing I remember was the SUV falling off the cliff. That must've been when the airbags knocked me out. I look outside. Somehow, we've managed to land upright. We're right in the middle of the woods. Tall trees on one side and a tall rocky cliff on the other. The interior isn't damaged that badly, except for all the broken glass. I'm glad we were in a SUV. It's one tough son of a bitch. I look to my left and Riku appears relatively unscathed. I'd like to turn around and check on the others but I have to get out of here first. I unbuckle the seatbelt and try to open the door. It's jammed.

"…Sora?" That's Kairi's voice.

"Yeah?"

"You're alive. I'm glad." Me too.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine."

"Can you open the door and help me out?"

"Yeah." I hear her trying to open the door.

"Is it jammed too?"

"Just give me a sec." I hear a loud crash and the door swings open. "I just had to put my shoulder into it." She gets out and stands beside my door. She pulls on the handle and it opens. She made it look easy. It didn't even budge when I tried.

"Thanks." I stumble out of the car and wince. I've got cuts and bruises all over. I look at her and blink. She looks perfectly fine. Her clothes don't even have a wrinkle. "I don't see a single scratch on you."

"Oh?" She looks down at herself. "I guess I got lucky." Yeah right. This must be the divine grace of plot contrivance. It's clear Kairi's too important to the plot to die. I'm gonna have to stick to her like glue.

"I'll check on the others," I offer. "Riku looks fine, but you should probably look after him." She nods and goes over to his side. I climb into the backseat and assess the damage. Looks like everybody was wise enough to wear their seatbelts—except for Hayner. His leg is totally messed up.

"_Ugh…_" Everybody in the back begins to stir. My first priority is to wake them up.

"Wake up, guys! You're all alive. It's no time to be playing dead."

"They're not playing dead. They're injured, and you're not helping by yelling at them," a voice admonishes.

I turn around and see Kairi holding Riku up. "I see you're back on your feet."

"I'm good. You can let go now." He shrugs off Kairi and stretches his arms. "There should be supplies in the back—bandages and medicine. Take it out for me," he orders. "The trunk should be unlocked. Kairi and I will take it from here."

"You seem to know what you're doing," I say, as I climb out the SUV.

"That's Riku for you," Kairi says. So that's his role: the leader. Unfortunately for him, the leader is guaranteed to die. It's when the leader disappears that everybody gets scared and stupid. Of course, the absolute first is always the horny couple, but I don't think any of us is any position to get it on right now.

I walk to the trunk and pull on the handle. It doesn't budge. Everything in this damn SUV is jammed. "Need some help?" Kairi asks.

"A little."

She comes close and inspects the trunk. "Okay, how about we pull together?" We slip our fingers under the handle. "One… Two… Three!" It miraculously opens. I barely pulled on it. That was all Kairi. She gives me a smirk. "Riku told me the first aid kit should be under the luggage."

"Gotcha." I dig through the bags until I find it. I walk out and see Riku laying Hayner on the ground. Olette is crouched over him with worry. Everyone else is good enough to stand but they're all wearing grimaces. I follow their eyes to Hayner's mangled leg. "Is he okay?"

"It hurts like a bitch," Hayner lets out. "So no, I'm not okay."

"This isn't good." Thanks for stating the obvious, Riku. He stands up to address everyone. "I can bandage it up, but he's going to need medical attention."

"Then what are you waiting for? Call 911 already," Olette says.

"I've already tried," says Kairi. "There's no reception. Do you guys have any luck?"

Everybody takes out their cell phones. "Dammit, mine's broken," Roxas says. "How bout yours, Naminé?"

She shakes her head. "No reception either." As expected, none of our cell phones are any use. Hayner's is broken, Olette's is out of batteries, Riku's has no signal, and I didn't even find one when I checked my pockets. All I have is my wallet.

"We're in the middle of the woods, and I don't think any of us can climb that cliff either. What are we gonna do now?" Roxas complains.

"How about a signal fire?" Naminé suggests. "We're right next to the main road. Someone's bound to see the smoke."

"Good thinking," Riku replies. "Let's get some wood and start a fire. Bring the kit over here, Sora." I hand it over to him. He opens it up and starts working on Hayner's leg. "Kairi, can you get some water from the car? Sora, Roxas, Naminé, go gather some twigs and dry leaves. I'll take care of you guys once you come back."

"Yes sir," Roxas says sarcastically. He follows the order anyways. It's not like we have a choice. After several minutes, we make a pretty sizeable pile. "Anybody got a lighter?" We look to each other. None of us are smokers apparently.

"The car has one," Riku informs. He finishes tying up the bandage on Hayner's leg.

"Will it work? It doesn't look like it can start."

"It doesn't have to start. The lighter runs on a battery." Riku starts to work on Olette's injuries next. "Can you try it out for me? The key's still in the ignition."

Roxas walks over to the driver's side and twists the key. It doesn't work. "Unless one of us is a mechanic, the car's dead." He pulls out the lighter cap and feels it. "Nothing."

"Does this mean we can't make a fire?" Naminé wonders. "Don't we have any matches?"

"No," Riku answers. "Everything we need is at the cabin."

Olette withdraws her hand from Riku, fed up with the situation. "This is all your fault!" The story's barely started and she's already breaking down? "Weren't you paying attention to the road? How can you let this happen?"

Riku bows his head in guilt. "I'm sorry, but the guy came out of nowhere. I didn't have enough time to react." She isn't satisfied with the excuse. I decide to jump in. I can't allow his authority to be undermined. He's our best chance of surviving—scratch that, he's _my_ best chance of surviving.

"I saw the whole thing myself. It didn't matter which one of us was driving. It was the other guy's fault completely. But seriously, is this _really_ the time to start blaming each other? Let's bandage ourselves up and worry about getting out of here first." Not to mention, the more you whine, the more annoyed the audience is gonna get. They're gonna be rooting for you to get killed! She still looks angry.

"Don't worry about me, Olette. I'm sure Riku's got it figured out, right?" Hayner says.

"Of course. We may not know how to make a fire, but I know where we are. We can't get back to the main road but we're only ten miles away from the cabin. There's a telephone line there. If we make it, we can call for help."

"Ten miles." Naminé rubs her chin thoughtfully. "It normally doesn't sound like much, but we're in the woods, and not only that, Hayner can't walk by himself."

"Sorry guys. If I wasn't such an idiot and wore my seatbelt—"

"Don't say that!" Olette interrupts. "We can carry you. Right, everybody?"

"Hold up. We weren't the only ones involved in the crash," Kairi says. "What about the other guy?"

"We don't know what happened up there," Riku answers. "We can wait here and hope that he calls for help but I'm not betting on it. We only got two options: either stay or move on. Given Hayner's injury, we may want to stay, but if things get worse, we can't do anything. Personally, I think we should go. That way, we're in control. We won't have to rely on miracles."

Olette becomes more distressed. "There's no way we can go anywhere. Look at him, we have to—"

Hayner cuts her off. "I think we should go to the cabin. It's just as Riku says. We're in control. I don't like leaving things up to chance. Who knows how long it'll take before help arrives?"

"We have more than enough food and water to make it to the cabin. I don't know how long it'll last if we stay here. As long as we're careful, we can make it there in one day. I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to. We don't know what's lurking in these woods." I know, perhaps demons and serial killers? "The sun's low and it'll be dark soon. We'll set up camp here and leave tomorrow morning. Kairi, take the luggage and sort out the things we need: water, food, and warm clothes. As beat up as it is, the SUV should be safe to stay in." With that, everybody buys into Riku's leadership. It was an impressive show of control and authority. It was so inspiring, I half-expected him to be eaten by a shark.

"We're all depending on you," I say.

"I was feeling worried there for a second, but you really calmed me down," Naminé adds.

"Come on guys, you're making me blush. Besides, we're not out of the woods yet."

"Literally," Roxas says. We all laugh, even if it's uneasy. Anything to lighten up the mood.

"Alright, let's get to work!"

So far, everything's good. Everybody's working together. Riku and Roxas rig the SUV to make it more comfortable by laying out blankets and leaning the seats back. They carry Hayner and let him rest in the trunk area. Olette stays by his side uselessly. If she's got time to worry about him, she should help out with the survival effort. Naminé sorts through our luggage for any useful items while Kairi takes care of the food and drinks. We don't have a whole lot of water. Most of it is soda and there's also a case of beer. What's a trip without alcohol?

"I'm the one who brought it," Hayner confesses.

"Beer's the last thing we want to drink, since it dehydrates you," Riku explains. He smiles afterwards though. "But we can celebrate once we reach the cabin." He has Kairi give everyone a water bottle. "Make sure you drink up a lot. The number one cause of death in the wilderness is dehydration."

For food, there are plenty of chips and small snacks, but most of our stock is frozen meat. We were supposed to have ourselves a grand barbeque once we reached the cabin. Since we can't make a fire, we have to throw it out. Riku was right. Chips and cookies are enough for the day, but if we stayed here any longer, we'd have to resort to gathering plants, which can be dangerous.

"Mine, Kairi's, and Naminé's are the only phones that still work. You guys need to keep checking the reception." Riku turns to Naminé. "Since you carry a smart phone, does it have GPS?"

Her eyes widen. "Let me check." She pulls it out of her pocket and thumbs through the apps. "It does!" Our phones aren't entirely useless after all.

"Alright, you're coming with me then. I'm gonna scout the area around us. I want to find the best route towards the cabin. The GPS helps but it doesn't show things like rivers or hills. I don't want us to leave and hit a roadblock."

"Wait, why can't you use your own phone, or Kairi's?" Roxas asks.

"Kairi's phone isn't smart, and mine doesn't have a GPS."

"Don't worry about me, Roxas," Naminé interjects. "It'll be fine."

He grudgingly lets them go. As soon as they leave, he walks into the forest by himself.

"Where are you going?" Kairi asks.

"For a walk."

She looks at me. "Do you think you can follow him?"

"I'm way ahead of you."

I catch up with Roxas when he stops at a fallen log. For awhile, I've been waiting for something terrible to happen. The car crash was bad, but there had be something even worse waiting for us. It hasn't come yet, and I wonder if it ever will. Perhaps I'm mistaken. Unless one of us goes crazy with an ax, this may just be a tale of man versus wild. Then again, this is a critical moment. It's when everybody splits up that something horrible happens. I'm crossing my fingers.

"This just about ranks up there with one of the worst situations I've ever been in." Roxas picks up a twig and throws it into the forest. "Hell of a way to start our vacation, huh?" I don't say anything. I don't want us to get too close. If they're gonna die, it's better that they die as strangers. "It's been bothering me, but… How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That something was going to happen. You said so yourself right before we got hit." He actually remembers that?

"I just had a bad feeling."

"I wished we listened to you then. You think we'll be fine out here?"

"Barring something unexpected, I like our chances. Riku has it together. As long as we follow him, there shouldn't be any problems." I'm glad I gave myself a lifesaver in this shitty situation. In every crisis, there's always the calm and collected leader.

"He's got a good head on his shoulders but… I don't know. He's almost _too_ good. I feel kind of helpless without him." He says it like it's a bad thing.

"You worried about something?"

"No, not really," he says quickly. "I mean, it's just—you think there's anything going on between him and…Naminé?" Where the heck did that come from?

"From what I've seen, no." That's my honest answer, but I haven't been paying attention. There are bigger things to worry about, like getting out of here alive.

"I guess it's just my imagination. I don't know what she thinks of me right now. Riku's acting all badass and I've been completely useless. It doesn't make for a good comparison." The insecurity of youth never fails to amaze. Do I comfort him or mess with him?

"It's all in your head."

"It is, right?" He lets out a relieved laugh. "Yeah, it is. I'm just being stupid. Forget I said anything."

"Besides, Riku and Kairi seem happy together."

He nods in agreement. "They do. I remember being shocked when they got together. I always had a feeling she liked you. Guess I was wrong." Whoa, you can't just drop a bomb like that so casually. Tell me more!

"What makes you say that?"

"Because she's always hanging around you. If I didn't see her kiss Riku every once in while, I could've sworn you two were going out. But it makes sense. You guys grew up together." It doesn't matter what world we're in, Roxas. You are forever doomed to be my exposition. I'm definitely gonna be chewing on this bit of info for awhile.

"Let's go back."

"Why, you have a bad feeling?"

I've been getting bad vibes ever since I woke up in this story. "It's getting dark. They should be back by now."

We return before the sun disappears behind the mountains, but there's a clamor waiting for us. There seems to be an emergency.

"What's wrong with him?" Olette yells desperately. Hayner is unconscious.

Riku's already on the scene and has his hand on Hayner's forehead. "He's running a fever. We need to get him some medicine and water. I'll go get it."

"Riku—" Kairi calls out.

"Not now, Kairi." He pushes her aside and opens up his backpack.

"You carry medicine with you?" I ask.

He chuckles. "It never hurts to be prepared." He pulls out a small bottle and some water. He returns to Hayner's side and administers the pills.

Olette watches anxiously. "Is he fine now?"

"I don't think it works that fast," Roxas says. Olette glares at him.

A couple minutes pass before Hayner opens his eyes again. "Hey, Olette… What are you screaming about?"

"Thank god…" she lets out.

I catch Naminé smiling at the scene. Is Roxas' concern legitimate? "Crisis averted," I declare.

"Alright guys… How about we get something to eat?" Kairi asks. We nod our heads tiredly and she passes out the snacks. It's not filling, but it'll have to do. Kairi hands me a bag of chips.

"Appreciate it," I tell her.

"No problem." She sits down beside me and I recall Roxas' words. Does she really like me? Even if she does, what does that mean for the plot? Is this where I woo her away from Riku and create a bitter conflict within the group? I'm probably overthinking it. "Sorry that we dragged you into this. I told Riku not to bring you along but he didn't want to listen. If I tried harder, you wouldn't be here." From the way she speaks, I can tell she really means it.

"What's done is done." If I hadn't been dragged along, there wouldn't be a story. "Let's just concentrate on getting out of here." I notice Riku staring at us. "I think your boyfriend is getting lonely."

She giggles. "I'll just have to keep him company then." She walks over to his side.

"So Riku, how does it look out there? Do we have a straight shot to the cabin?" I ask.

"There are a couple steep hills and streams in the way. It might give us a little trouble but nothing we can't handle."

Hayner looks up at Riku. "Will I give you guys problems?"

"Don't worry about it," Riku assures. "Anyways, before we leave tomorrow. I want to remind everybody to pack light. All we want is food and drink. Everything else, we can leave behind. We can always come back for it later."

After we finish, we put away everything and cram ourselves into the SUV. Riku is in the trunk area with Hayner at Olette's insistence. Naminé and Roxas are behind us, and Kairi and I are in the front seats. Hopefully, this is our last night out here.

Since there isn't anything to do, we start talking. I lay back and listen quietly. It feels like a normal campfire conversation. The only thing missing is the ghost story. I thought about bringing it up but it's best not to tempt fate. We eventually tire ourselves enough to get drowsy.

It's the dead of night and it's cold. We're wrapped around in extra layers of clothes. Like I said earlier, the first ones to go are the horny couple. Given our current situation, all crammed together in one car, I don't think that's gonna happen—unless Kairi asks me to make out with her. Such a shame. This is the perfect time for horror to strike.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kairi remarks.

I follow her gaze to the night sky. "A full moon?"

"No, it's not a full one, but it's close. Do you see the shadow on the edge there?"

"Close enough."

She giggles quietly. "There's actually a big difference. There's only a full moon once a month. That should be about four days from now."

"I never knew you such a stickler for astronomy."

"I'm not. It's just… You pick up a few things when you stay up at night." She grabs my hand and squeezes it. "Good night, Sora."

What's that about? I shrug it off, turn away, and close my eyes. Maybe this is where I'm supposed to struggle with whether or not I want to pursue her romantically. Honestly, I don't care. I drift away into the pleasant grip of sleep. Familiar images pass before my eyes: a girl with short black hair, a childhood friend, a stepsister, and a lover. My heart throbs painfully. This feeling… This longing… Then it hits me.

The urge to take a piss.

I open my eyes and remember my place. I still retain some memory of my previous adventures. I rub my eyes and look outside. It's still dark. Behind me, everyone is snoozing soundly. I push open the door and stumble out. I walk to the closest tree I can find, unzip my pants, and relieve myself. Ahhh… That's better.

Then I remember something important. The one guy who sneaks out in the middle of the night, away from everyone else, is the most likely to die. I start sweating. I'm the main character. Something like that is impossible. It's not like if I turn around, there's going to be a—

"_Grrrrrrrr…_"

That's gotta be my stomach. I'm just hungry. That's all it is. Come on. This can't be happening. Against my better judgment, I turn around.

I wish I hadn't.

Between me and the car is a gigantic black bear. Standing on its hind legs, its gotta be at least ten feet tall. It's so high, it blocks the moonlight, and I'm stuck in its shadow. The urge to piss returns with a vengeance. There's only one thing I can do:

**RUUUUUUUNN!**

I shoot off like a rocket into the woods. The ground shakes as it chases after me. This isn't man versus wild, this is man versus man-eating bear. Of all the crazy set-ups, it has to be most realistic one. I'd rather take on a crazy killer or zombies over this. At least those I can fight against, but a bear? This thing's gonna eat me alive!

The moon may be bright, but the trees are thick. It's getting darker the deeper I run into the woods. I'm running blind here. Fear and adrenaline keeps my feet light. Then it happens, that moment when the character falls down in the middle of a chase. Since I'm running for my life in the dark, you'd have to excuse me for falling into such a cliché. Fortunately, I fall into a crack in the ground that's deep and narrow enough to protect me from the bear—at least I hope so.

The bear stops above me and I see its glowing eyes. It tries to stick its head in but the opening is too narrow. That's when I get a rather exceptional view of its sharp teeth as it opens its mouth. Bear spit falls on my face. I'm too scared to feel disgusted. Next, it tries to claw at me with its paws but it can't reach. It tries for a few more minutes before giving up. It finally leaves.

My senses return to me. My heart's beating at a thousand miles an hour and I'm shaking all over. No way I'm sticking my head out there. I'll just spend the night in this little crack. I lay there for what feels like an eternity. What the hell was I thinking? I don't mean taking a piss in the middle of a horror story, but for writing a horror story in the first place. Sure, I probably won't die in this, but I'm shitting my pants here.

The sun finally arrives and the sky is lit up with a light blue. It's been hours since I last saw the bear. It should be fine to get out. I climb up and look around. The coast is clear. What now? I'm lost. Is there a way to retrace my steps? Maybe through footprints or something? I inspect the ground for clues. It all looks the same to me. I don't think I can backtrack without getting myself even more lost.

Since it's the morning and the sun always rises from the east, that should help me, right? Which direction should I go in? This is terrible. If I make one wrong guess, then I'm screwed. How long was I running for anyways? I try to think back but it's no use. This might be it. Perhaps… This is the end?

"…_ra…" _

It's faint but I hear it. Is someone calling my name?

"…_Sora…" _They must be looking for me. What a relief.

"**OVER HERE!**" I scream out.

Unintelligible chatter echoes through the woods. _"…hear that?"_

"**OVER HEEERE!**" I scream again.

This goes on for a while, a game of voice tag with my friends. Our yells seem to come from every direction. I try to follow their volume until finally, we meet up with each other. It's Kairi and Riku. They look terrible. Were they up all night looking for me?

"We finally found you!" She runs up and embraces me. Riku looks annoyed. Maybe Roxas was on to something. "Where the hell did you disappear off to?"

"I went out for a piss and… Got chased by a bear."

"A bear?" she repeats. She and Riku exchange a look.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Back at the camp… Hayner…"

"Something happened to him?"

"He's dead," Riku answers.

I should act more surprised but I'm not. I'm in a horror after all. It'd be more surprising if nothing happened. I should've spoken to him more often. If he had more screen time, he probably wouldn't have died so fast. "How?"

Kairi looks at the ground. "It's too gruesome."

"What you said matches Olette's story. He was probably attacked by the same bear that was chasing you."

"How did it happen?"

"It's because you disappeared!" Kairi accuses. "We went out to look for you. Riku and Naminé came because they knew the area better. Roxas tagged along for whatever reason, so it was just Olette and Hayner by themselves." Roxas probably left because he was worried about Naminé and Riku being together.

"When Olette saw the bear, she ran away and left Hayner behind," Riku says. "She didn't know it was a bear though. It was still kind of dark. She said it was some kind of furry monster. We didn't know what she was talking about until you brought it up. If it's a bear, then it all makes sense."

"So… What now?"

"I'd hate to sound callous, but without Hayner slowing us down, we can probably make it to the cabin in one day. Then we can get the hell out of here."

"And Olette?"

Kairi shakes her head. "It's bad. She blames herself for everything. Let's get back. I don't want to spend any more time in these woods. That bear can come back anytime."

A bunch of teenagers against a bear. I was expecting something more spectacular, but I probably shouldn't be complaining. What if it turns to be a zombie bear? Or a demonically possessed one? I should be relieved that it's just a regular one. Well, here's hoping that things don't get any worse. Who am I kidding? It's always gonna get worse. The only question is: who's gonna be alive by the end?

Aside from me, of course.


	9. Into the Wild

**Into the Wild**

So that's what a dead body looks like.

How often do you see those? And no, funerals don't count. I'm talking about a raw, fresh corpse, just hours after death. Not the manicured dead, decked out in tuxedos and fancy dresses, but the real thing, rotting in all of its gory glory.

But I can't call this mess in front of me a "body." How can I describe this without overstepping the "T" rating? Okay, I think I got it. Imagine that somebody spilled a giant plate of spaghetti in the middle of the woods except, that spaghetti is actually Hayner. It sounds horrible, but it really isn't. The sight is so far removed from resembling anything remotely human, it's hard to feel disgusted. It just doesn't seem real.

The stench, however, is a different story. It smells like crap. Makes sense, since a swarm of flies are feasting on exposed intestines. The rest of the remains give off the scent of warmed over hamburger meat with a tinge of sweetness. I gulp down the rising bile.

"If you throw up, make sure you drink lots of water. You'll be dehydrated if you don't," Riku warns. Steady as ever, that boy. The only thing on his mind is survival. At least one of us has his eyes on the prize. Everybody else is stuck somewhere in the five stages of grief; Olette's in denial, Roxas is pissed, Naminé's bargaining, and Kairi's depressed. The only ones who've accepted this are me and Riku. "We're probably in the bear's hunting area. We need to get out of here."

"Shouldn't we give him a proper burial?" Kairi asks. I think that requires a proper body first.

"You want to bury that? Be my guest."

Olette uncovers her face slowly, her fingertips dripping down like tears. Her skin is pale and her eyes are red with engorged blood vessels. "You have to be kidding me. This isn't happening—this isn't real!" She bows her head and recites futile incantations. "_This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real_…"

I want to slap her and tell her to wake up, but a little sympathy goes a long way. After all, she used her boyfriend as bait to save her own skin. The guilt must be tearing her to pieces—much like the bear did to Hayner. Wait a minute, what were they doing when the bear attacked?

"Olette." She turns to me expectantly. Oh boy, I wish I had something comforting to say, but my curiosity cannot be denied. "This might be an inappropriate question but… were you and Hayner making out when the bear attacked you?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?!"

"Is that a yes?"

"Go to hell, _asshole_."

I knew it! That's how you die. Such is the rule of horror: you horny—you dead. If we were wholesome innocent teenagers on a platonic retreat, this wouldn't be an issue. Whose bright idea was it to go into the woods anyways? It's where the bears shit. Should've rented a hotel room instead. Then again, hotel rooms aren't exactly immune to horror. I guess it didn't matter where we went, we were screwed either way.

"Sorry, I just wanted to confirm my suspicions." Everybody looks at me weird. "What I mean is—I'm with Riku. We should head to the cabin."

Roxas glares at me. "Where the hell were you? If you hadn't disappeared, none of this would've happened."

"You're right," I answer. "It would've been a lot worse. Look at the SUV." The trunk was torn to shreds like paper. Blood coated the inside in a thick, smooth, and rich layer of red. "If I didn't lead the bear away, it would've killed all of us." In a way, I saved your ass. How about a little gratitude, punk?

"And how did you do that?" he asked skeptically.

"I was outside when it attacked. It chased me into woods. I got lucky and fell into a hole and it couldn't reach me. I guess that's when it came back here and attacked whoever was left."

He laughs disbelievingly. "What a joke."

"It's the truth."

"Fuck that." He slams his fist against a tree. "This is bullshit!"

Naminé holds him from behind. "Roxas… I'm scared."

"Me too." He takes a deep breath. "I swear; I'll kill that fucking thing."

"Good luck with that," Riku says dryly. "For now, our best bet is to get away. We can't stay in its territory any longer. If we want to survive, we have to leave—as in now."

"Then leave," Olette says harshly. She stands stiffly, her balled fists trembling. "You can go. It's obvious you guys don't give a shit about Hayner. I'll stay here and show him the respect he deserves. I'll bury him myself."

"What's the point? He's already dead."

"Sora!" Kairi admonishes.

"What the hell's your problem?!" Olette takes a fistful of my shirt and pulls me close to her snarling face. "Hayner's dead! Do you even realize that?" Despair never looked so ugly. I've been keeping a distance from everyone but I can't turn away when her eyes are locked onto me like this. Even if I couldn't care less about Hayner, she does. The consequences here are real, for her, and for everybody else.

I grab her wrists gently and pull away. "You're still alive. Do _you_ realize that?" Her eyes widen. "Hayner gave up his life for you whether he wanted to or not, and that means you have to take responsibility and continue living. Staying here is worse than spitting on his grave. You're only putting yourself in danger. Do you want to die that badly?"

"You don't get it—"

"We're not going to leave you behind. We have to stick together or we're gonna be picked off one by one."

She collapses to her knees. "It's all my fault! He's dead because of me. If I hadn't—"

"If you hadn't run away, you'd _both_ be dead," Riku interjects. "I know everybody's emotions are running high right now. We're afraid, confused, and shocked, but we can't let that stop us." He walks over and helps her up. "It's like Sora says, we're not leaving you behind. We can come back and bury him properly _after_ we've reached safety." What a leader, the perfect combination of smarts and practical skills with just the right amount of compassion. "I'm gonna go pack up our stuff. Don't stay here too long."

"Wait up," Kairi says, running after him.

"We won't be safe as long as that thing is out there," Roxas says.

Naminé grabs his shirt. "I just want to go home and forget about all this."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. It's just… I can't believe it." He sighs. "Anyways, let's go help them pack." They follow Kairi, leaving me and Olette behind.

I'd almost forgotten an important rule about theses type of stories: the asshole always dies. The selfish bastard is a character who manages to outlive most of the cast through callous methods. But in the end, there's no escaping karmic justice. My behavior thus far has veered dangerously close to asshole territory. Any further and I might doom myself to an ironic demise. I can't be an ass. I have to play the good guy, but I can't be too nice either. Naivety is a shortcut to the grave. As long as I'm somewhere between "not an asshole" and a "not a nice guy," I should be fine. Olette is glued to the ground and unwilling to move.

"Are you coming? Or am I gonna have to drag you?" I'm sure this requires a delicate touch, but I'm pressed for time. I approach her when she suddenly speaks.

"When I saw his body…" Her voice is barely above a whisper. "I wasn't sad or shocked. Do you know how I felt?"

"Afraid?"

"No. I was happy. Can you believe it? I was happy it wasn't me—happy that I didn't die." She giggles terribly. "Horrible, isn't it? It was never me or him. It was always me. I left him without a second thought. I left him there to die on his own… to that _monster_." Is she trying to play the villain? Her cruel words seek punishment for cowardice. I won't give her the satisfaction. I'll absolve her of responsibility because that's what a good guy does.

"You only did what was natural."

"Natural? What's fucking natural about it? You weren't there. You didn't hear it—his screams—my god—the screams—I never knew humans could make that kind of noise. Even now, I can hear it." She shakes her head and covers her ears with cold, sweaty palms. "I'll never forget it, his screams…"

What am I supposed to do? Stand awkwardly as she beats herself up? As far as I know, she's absolutely right. She's a coward, through and through—the farthest thing from a hero—or heroine. I can't blame her though. When the situation's that extreme, anything can happen. I should console her somehow. Not sure if this is the right thing to do, but it's what the script calls for. I step in and hug her. My arms wrap around awkwardly. I feel like I'm exploiting the situation—but it's not like I have any ulterior motives. I'm sure there are better ways to cop a feel than trying to comfort a girl whose boyfriend just got eviscerated. I'm doing this just because I'm supposed to. That's it. "You're only human. If you were any better, you'd be dead."

"Am I a bad person?" she asks, her voice muffled by my shirt.

"If you're bad, then I'm way worse. I don't feel a damn thing. He's dead. We're alive. Let's keep it that way. There'll be plenty of time for grief after we get out of here."

She draws back hesitantly. "It's just… I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. All of _this_… why is it happening to us?" That's probably my fault. I'm the one who wrote this story.

"Let's go before everybody ditches us."

She cracks a somewhat bitter smile. "You're terrible at giving hugs, you know that?"

"Sue me. It's my first time."

"I can tell. Hopefully, you're better at holding hands." She shows me her open palm. Is she inviting me to…?

"If it makes you feel better…" I grab her hand and she squeezes back warmly.

"It will."

I didn't see this coming. Death brings out all sorts of reactions. Some want to be alone and some… just want to be held. The rest of the group already packed up and moved ahead of us. Hand in hand together, Olette and I follow after the "X's" Riku marked on the trees for us to follow. It's an uneasy, yet, comfortable walk through the woods. The soft crunch of our footsteps fill the quiet air.

There were some serious horror vibes going on in the beginning, but now that the monster's finally showed itself, things have taken a turn for the worse. Ghosts, aliens, and zombies I can deal with, but a bear? That's way too normal. I'm not stupid. The bear's not the true villain here, it's just the catalyst. We'll have to fight against not only nature, but against each other—I'm talking about internal discord—that's the true enemy. If the group falls apart, it's all over.

"You want to know something funny?" Olette asks. "Well, it's not really funny, but—"

"What is it?"

"I…" She hesitates. "I was planning to break up with him after the trip—with Hayner, I mean."

"Huh." How do I even reply to that? Not only did you let your boyfriend die, but you were planning to break up with him too? This girl, man… this girl.

"It's just one horrible thing after the other with me."

"That's not it. None of us could've predicted this." Except me. Frankly, that's the only way I can see myself surviving. I'm gonna have to make some crazy guesses to get out of this one. "I thought you two were tight?"

"There's no such thing as a perfect relationship. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't bad—he was a nice guy. There just wasn't a future for us. I'm going to college and he didn't even have a plan."

"That's, uh… kind of harsh. But knowing what happened and all… I can't even begin to imagine how you feel."

"It hasn't really set in yet. I still hope, any second now, I'll wake up and think this was all just a bad dream."

"Me too."

A rustling noise interrupts us. We stop.

"Did you hear that?" Olette engulfs me with her body, my arm trapped between two warm mounds. It's a lovely trap, but a trap nonetheless. If worse comes to worse, I'll push her down and bolt—how's that for a taste of your own medicine? Damn it, I can't do that anymore. I forgot—the stupid rules. If I do that, I'm practically signing my own death warrant. The rustling gets louder. Heavy footsteps approach. Whatever it is, it's coming closer!

Oh.

It's just Kairi. She looks between me and Olette disapprovingly. Hey, what's that look for? It's not like I'm making a move on an emotionally vulnerable girl here. It's all her, I swear!

"What the hell's taking you guys so long? We thought we lost you."

"We were just—"

"Hurry up. We met a dead-end," she explains.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just follow me." She turns around and walks away.

Olette and I exchange glances and we shrug our shoulders. We follow Kairi, who is slightly ahead of us. Olette remains clingy. The deeper we move into the forest, the louder the sound of rushing water becomes. I see… There's a river blocking our path. Soon, we come upon the scene of Riku by the riverbank with Roxas and Naminé standing off to the side.

"This is one fine setback," I announce. Another obstacle and another chance for our group to unravel; I have to tread carefully. "Any ideas, Riku?"

He backs away from the river and strokes his chin in thought. "This is bad. We're not equipped to cross this river, especially with how wide and deep it is. If we're not careful, we'll be carried away by the current." I can see and hear what he means. The river roars, the sound filling our ears as the currents crash against the rocks. The embankment is covered in rich white foam, bubbles rising from turbulent tides.

"I thought you and Naminé went out to avoid this kind of shit," Roxas says angrily. "Were you two even scouting yesterday?"

"Obviously, we didn't go out far enough. We didn't have the time. The sun set too soon."

"Calm down." Naminé tugs on her boyfriend's sleeve, but it only aggravates him further.

"This is your fault." Roxas points at Riku threateningly. "How are we gonna get across this?" Roxas is acting like a powder keg. He's looking an excuse to blow up, and right now, Riku makes for one convenient target.

Our leader is unfazed. "We're gonna have to go around it. We'll split up in two and go in each direction until one of use finds a way across—a shallow, a fallen log—something like that."

Already, the alarm bells are ringing in my head. "Are you sure you want to do that? I think it's better to stick together," I propose.

"That's inefficient and a waste of time," he tells me. "Better to cover more ground."

"But it's more dangerous. I don't want that bear picking us off when we're split up." That's like, horror 101, bro.

"But the longer we stay on this side of the river, the worse, don't you agree?" Goddammit. He's right. It's a catch-22. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

"Fine, how are we going to split?"

"Riku and I will take Olette," Kairi answers quickly. "You go with Roxas and Naminé." I get the feeling she has a vested interest in keeping me and Olette apart. It's probably the best way to split since we have two couples and two stragglers. It's an equal distribution, but I can't help but pick up jealous vibes from her. Might just be my ego too. Whatever. There's a bear out there. The only thing I should be worrying about is surviving.

"Then you go upstream and we go downstream?"

Riku nods. "If one of us finds something, run to the other group. But if we both find nothing after thirty minutes, we should head back here and come up with a new plan."

"Sounds good to me." I expect Roxas to lash out but the plan is airtight, really no room for complaints. He grudgingly accepts.

"Fine."

"Before we head out, this is a good chance to refill our water. You guys take a break. Kairi and I will take care of everything."

"Thanks." I hand over my water bottle to Kairi and watch as they refill it by the river. Olette sits down next to me.

"Do you think we'll be fine?"

"Don't be stupid and you'll live."

She chuckles softly. "Thanks for your words back there. I know it doesn't change anything but… it made me feel better. I guess there's plenty of time to feel like shit after this is all over, huh?"

"Yeah—" A water bottle flies into my chest.

"Water's all good. Time to go." Kairi stares at Olette, imploring her to move.

"I'll catch you later," Olette says.

"Be careful." She goes over to Riku while Kairi remains. "Something to say?"

Kairi's face softens. "Watch yourself out there, Sora."

"You too." We part ways. I turn to face Roxas and Naminé. "Alright, lead the way."

They both walk a small distance ahead of me. With the river raging near us, I can't hear what they're talking about—not that I care, since I doubt it'll be anything useful. The key to surviving is to know what's coming next, but when you're in the thick of it like this, it's hard to think clearly. The bear can attack us right now or the bear could attack Riku and company, and there'd be no way we'd know—unless they come running after us covered in blood. I look at the river and it shows no sign of slowing down. Not a fallen log or stepping stone in sight. I'm getting a bad feeling about this. Actually, I probably shouldn't have said that.

"You guys feeling alright?" I ask.

Roxas looks over his shoulder. "I don't think any of us are alright—except for Riku. That guy gives me the creeps."

"What's wrong with Riku?"

"Nobody should be that calm," he argues.

"I disagree. We need calm. Cooler heads prevail."

"He's too cool," he mutters. Sounds like sour grapes to me. Fortunately for him, I see Riku as the next one to go. After displaying such leadership, it's only natural that he dies next. Because nobody else here has the balls to lead, and it'll make this excursion that much more exciting. I won't be surprised if a shark pops out of the river and snatches Riku with its jaws. Who's to say bears are the only threat around? We walk for a while longer and the sun begins to glow orange.

"Has it been thirty minutes yet?" Roxas asks.

Naminé takes out her phone, which I expect should be running low on battery by now. "Yeah, we should probably start heading back now."

"Damn it. We didn't find anything. Let's hurry."

We retrace our steps and return to original starting point half an hour later. We can tell because of a large "x" Riku left on a tree. There's nobody here. We all exchange worried glances. "Riku's usually on top of things…" I say.

"Nobody's perfect. They're just running a little late." I didn't expect Roxas to make an excuse for Riku, but it's probably for Naminé's sake. She's like a deer in the headlights.

"You think we should go after them?" she wonders. Oh man, this is probably the part where we go up ahead and find their totally dead bodies.

"Better than waiting around here," I say uneasily.

"Let's go then." We follow Roxas' lead. The good news: Riku had the presence of mind to leave of a trail of x's on the trees. The bad news: they disappeared forty minutes in. We're flying blind and there's no trace of them. Though none of us say it out loud, we're all thinking the same thing: we're in deep shit, and things are only getting worse as the sun sinks below the treeline.

"Shouldn't we stop?" Roxas ignores Naminé's suggestion and continues to march forward. I'm not sure which is the better option; stay or keeping moving? The exhaustion is getting to us though, and without food, we won't have any energy left.

"Roxas." He doesn't hear me. "Roxas!"

"What?!"

"Let's stop. We need to eat something and it's getting dark. I think we should set up camp here."

"Fuck." He looks around, searching for some sort of answer in the shadows, but there's nothing. "Fine. Do we have anything to eat?"

"Some chips," Naminé says, digging into her backpack.

"Okay." Roxas sits down and stretches out his legs. "We're totally screwed…"

"I love your optimism." I take my seat on the ground. Night has taken hold and it's only the moonlight that helps us see. Naminé offers me a bag, which I take gratefully. "What do you think happened to them?"

"I don't want to think about it," he replies.

"You think... the bear attacked them?" Naminé seems obsessed with the idea.

"Who knows?"

I munch on my chips quietly and watch the moon glitter on the river's surface. It dances wildly, losing and regaining form in a shower of gleaming sparkles. It's beautiful, hypnotic, and haunting. Here we are, in the dark wilderness, surrounded by the sound of rushing water. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And it does.

I shoot up to my feet when I see it. "SHIT!"

Roxas and Naminé flinch. "What is it?"

I point behind them, my hand shaking frightfully. "In the river—"

Is Olette—face-down, and floating.


	10. Crawling Forward

**Crawling Forward**

Horror is the cure for stupidity.

Only the dumb are supposed to die. It's Darwinism. Being smart means I live, being stupid means I die, but deep here in the trenches, how am I supposed to make the smart choice when they're all bad? There's a monster hunting us down. Run or hide—it doesn't matter. There's no escape. We're all gonna die. Some of us sooner than others, like her—Olette.

An icy coldness settles in the pit of my stomach. She doesn't deserve this. Nobody does. Stupid or not, people aren't supposed to die. It happens every day. But not like this. This is too cruel. It's too…

Horrific.

We're all too shocked to move. Olette's body cuts through the river like a flash of silver. One blink and she's gone. We look to each other for confirmation and the dread in our eyes says it all: this is happening. And Olette is dead.

"Fuck!" Roxas yells.

Before we have time to think, a terrible growl shakes the forest. Trees quiver as sleeping birds scatter into the night sky. Thunderous steps stampede toward us. They grow deafening with each passing second. It doesn't matter how much I know or how prepared I am. When the fear comes, it paralyzes.

"Move—MOVE!" My scream breaks the spell before the monster could show itself. We run blindly along the river. One look over our shoulders and it emerges from the dark, immense and monstrous. We run faster, fully aware of the beast clipping at our heels. We run as fast as we can.

And it does too.

Our muscles burn, ache, and scream for us to stop, but our minds know better. To stop is to die. It chases after us relentlessly, its limbs stretching immeasurably wide. Its jaw hangs open, spittle flailing in the wind, with a malicious grin of jagged bloodstained teeth. Piercing yellow eyes glow in the moonlight. Not eyes of a predator… But something else? Its gaping mouth snaps me out of it. What am I thinking?

It grows larger by leaps and bounds. For every step we take, it closes in by four. The certainty is crippling. We're going to die. There's no more doubt. And my brain goes blank. In the absence of thought, my senses reveal the answer. "JUMP!"

I don't know if they followed me, but the freezing water almost knocks me out. My limbs lock up as I barely hang on to consciousness. I forget how to move. The vicious currents spin my body like a ragdoll. Balance is futile. I can't breathe. Air and water mix in my lungs. Disorientation. Dizziness. Drowning. Darkness. Death…?

My eyes shoot open. Dirt. My face is sinking into the soggy embankment. A lurch in my throat—I seize up, choking—puking water. A fit of coughs follow as my lungs burn. Breathe in deeply. I pick myself up. Still alive—just barely.

I glance around, my legs wobbly and vision dark, the world tilting like a seesaw. Settle down. I lean against a tree. My clothes are dripping. I wipe my face and my hands get smeared with mud. I walk to the river's edge unsteadily. The water is calm. I kneel down and splash my face. My reflection ripples. Cuts and bruises stare back. I wince under my pruney touch. I lift up my clothes. Purple patches and thin red lines. No major injuries. I'm safe…for now.

Where are they? Did Roxas and Naminé follow? Or are they being digested? No, I can't think like that. Stay focused on surviving. Dwelling on hypotheticals won't get me anywhere. I probe the immediate surroundings for clues. I left quite an impression on the ground. If they followed mr, it shouldn't be hard to find traces of them. I'm on the other side of the river. The cabin should be on this side too. I don't know how far I floated down.

If I follow the river upstream and look for X's on the trees across, I can find our original starting point. I recall the map from Naminé's phone. Get back to that position and I can roughly make my way to the cabins. I check my pockets. Only a bag of chips. I tear it open and pour it down my mouth. It might be my last meal in a long while.

As I trek upstream, I keep an eye out for footprints. Worst case scenario, they're dead. Mildly bad scenario, they're downstream. If they're smart, they'll do what I'm doing. The forest seems to stretch for miles. The currents are speeding up. I'm definitely on the right track. My body isn't in the best condition. I'm banged up, dragging my feet in the mud, with thoughts of death circling like vultures. Every time I hear a rustling, I freeze. I shouldn't be paranoid. There's no way a bear can sneak in the woods. I glance across the river. No X's yet. If it attacks me now, I don't have many options. I probably won't survive another swim.

My stomach grumbles. The chips made me hungrier. It's not enough. This is bad. I'm getting weaker by the second. My eyes comb the woods frantically. I'm not expecting to find a sandwich out here, but anything to give me hope would work. I press on. Unbidden thoughts of food swirl around deliriously. I'm starting to hallucinate. I'm seeing burgers and hotdogs dripping off the trees. When I try to pluck them, they become regular branches. I throw them angrily at the ground. What the hell am I doing? I slap my cheeks lightly. FOCUS. Stick with the plan. As long as I follow the river, I should find the way out of here.

My patience is rewarded. It took me a couple hours but I found it: an X. According to the GPS, it should be a straight shot from here to the cabin grounds. With newfound determination, I sprint into the forest. I'll have to take advantage of this shot of energy before I run out.

Trees, leaves, and branches sail past my face as I penetrate deeper. There's no end to it. The scenery bleeds together into an amorphous panorama of nature. Everything's become indistinguishable. The river has long since been silenced by rustling leaves and bird calls. Am I lost? I made sure to maintain a straight line but there's no guarantee of that. The landscape is too dispersed and uneven. Fatigue catches up and tackles me. I collapse to my knees. Somehow, I managed to forget how tired I really was...until now.

My body's shaking. No good, huh? I've pushed myself too far. I crawl forward. Energy leaks from my arms faster than I can crawl. I can barely nudge myself. My chin digs into the ground. I can't get up. My body isn't listening any more. I clutch a fistful of dirt and grass. Worms writhe in the clump. Vision going dark. Shit. If there's nothing to eat, I might as well just…

Pass out.


	11. Shoulda Seen That Coming

**Shoulda Seen That Coming**

I wake up.

I'm noticing a trend. To kick off the story, I woke up in a car, then I woke up in a car again—except this time, the car was wrecked. Then I woke up in a ditch, and after that, I woke up on a muddy riverbank half-dead. I guess I shouldn't complain this time, because I'm waking up in a warm and fluffy bed.

Before me is Kairi. She's smiling and holding on to my hand. When I look down to confirm our entwined fingers, she lets go in embarrassment. The change in scenery is so radical, I wonder if I jumped into a different story. Maybe the ending was me dying in the woods. Nah, too unsatisfying. I'm probably still in the same nightmare.

Kind of an awkward transition though. It's like I ran out of ideas from the last cliffhanger and needed to accelerate the plot forward by separating myself from the other two characters, leaving me alone in an introspective state to wander the woods to experience at least some tension and suspense in a self-proclaimed horror story that's relying a little too much on humor and tropes for my taste.

But that's just me.

You guys can laugh at my plight all you want, but this shit is real, okay? At least for me. I was knocking on death's doorstep last chapter! That ordeal took up an entire day and y'all read it in one thousand words. Have a little sympathy.

But back to the point, Kairi is looking at me with moist eyes. She holds her tears back admirably."Thank god, you're awake. Riku and I found you in the woods. You were in pretty bad shape." I try to sit up be she presses me down gently. "Don't push yourself."

I look outside; it's nighttime. "How long was I out?"

"About a day."

"Did you find the others?"

She nods, but doesn't look happy about it. "We found them but..."

"They're dead," I fill in. She doesn't acknowledge it. "And Olette?"

She shakes her head. "It's terrible."

I almost laugh. _It's terrible_. Such a token line. "Are we safe?" I observe the room. The interior is rustic, with brown and bumpy walls like logs stacked on top of each other. Fur rugs cover the hardwood floor. The one window in the room, which is tiny and next to my bed, shows the dark silhouette of trees against the moonlight. We're in a cabin. "Did you call the police yet?"

She folds her hands and avoids my gaze. "I'm… I'm sorry, Sora. I never wanted you to come."

"What are you talking about?" That's when I feel it—the cold clasp of metal around my ankle. I tear the sheets off and look down. One of my feet is chained to the bedpost. My imagination is already spinning. Should've seen this coming. "Why am I chained?"

"That's to keep you from running," says Riku. He enters the room with a slimy smile. As he shuts the door behind him, I notice a line of locks and latches on the other side. I guess a bear isn't enough. Gotta throw in a surprise psycho twist at the end too. I look at Kairi and she looks scared. This is probably the part where I assert that they're joking but then it dawns on me that they're for real and they've got some nasty plans in store for me. Let's skip to the explanations.

"What is this?"

Riku lays a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Roxas is ready," he tells her. "I'll explain everything to Sora."

She gives me one last guilty look as she stands up. Her legs are shaking. I can almost hear her apology as she shuffles out. Riku takes her seat. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Disappointed." In my lack of originality. I probably shouldn't say that before finding out why I'm being chained, but how is this situation not cliché? The real monster isn't the monster, it's PEOPLE. "Am I gonna get an explanation or what?"

"You'll get your explanation soon. Be patient." He puts a finger to his lips. "And quiet."

"Wha—"

"Shhh," he shushes sharply. "Can you hear it?"

I strain my ears. Is he joking with me? I don't hear anything.

_GARGHHHH…_

What's that noise? It's like…

_AUUUGHHHH… _

A person's—

**WUUAHHHGHH!**

Scream—Roxas' screams. It's muffled by layers of wall but I receive it loud and clear. A shiver grips my spine and twists it, Indian burn style. It's a shrieking exclamation of terror and unimaginable pain. My body sweats profusely, the sheets soaking up my fear silently. A bead skims down my face from the forehead to the chin, and it splashes onto my lap. It sounds like…like he's being torn to shreds. I hear pieces of _something_ thudding against the walls. It's a wet sound, slick and squick. What a hideous noise. God. Make it stop. I cover my ears. "MAKE IT STOP!"

And it does.

"May god rest his soul." Riku stands up and leans over the bed to look outside the window. "Beautiful, isn't it? The moonlight, I mean." I reach for his throat but he draws back instantly, wagging his little finger mockingly. "Behave yourself."

Normally, I'd be confused as to why my friends would chain me up to a bedpost when there's a rampaging man-eating bear on the loose, but having heard a murder occur several rooms over, I think I've, more or less, put things together. After all, this is the second time someone waxed poetic about the moon, and the most common horror element linked to the moon is... "Let me guess. Kairi's a werewolf?"

He blinks in surprise. "How'd you figure it out? Actually, you're not acting very shocked about all this, which I find puzzling."

"Let's just say I'm not the Sora you once knew. So what the fuck are you trying to do with me?" I solved the variable for X but I still have no idea how the equation fits together. Over here is Y, aka, dead bodies, and here is Z, me. How can I isolate Z from the rest of these psychos, corpses, and monsters?

He shrugs off the small stone I threw in the narrative flow and he smiles again, but this time, I can actually detect a hint of humanity. "I'm trying to _save_ her."

I don't say anything. First of all, how am I supposed to react to that? Dude is clearly insane. Secondly, I'm sure the laws of exposition demand that he explain everything regardless of any shocked utterances I can care to utter. For the hell of it, I utter something anyways, "You're insane."

"Whole world's insane. If you had told me werewolves existed a week ago, I would've laughed. This isn't a joke. It's real. I've seen it. She's a werewolf. And I'm going to save her." That werewolves exist in this world prompts a whole series of questions about what else lies out there, but considering my current predicament, such a train of thought is best restricted to ideas on how to kill this asshole in front of me. I try to grab him again but he's several steps out of reach. "Calm down and I'll tell you a story."

I sit up and glare. "Go ahead."

"A week ago, Kairi was attacked by something on the way home. It bit her arm and left a nasty wound. We disinfected and bandaged it. Over the next couple nights, she was bedridden with a bad fever until finally...it happened. She transformed. And when she did, she killed her parents. When she regained her humanity, she remembered everything she did as a werewolf. Horrified and devastated, she tried to kill herself, but _It_ wouldn't allow it."

"It?"

"What else? The monster inside her. That's when she came to me. She told me everything that happened. She wanted me to end it for her but I refused. There's no way I could do that. I love her too damn much. So I looked for a cure and found one."

"Just like that?" He's demonstrated his resourcefulness but to find a cure for werewolves in the short time span between now and last week requires an incredible amount of coincidence and luck. Not to mention the foresight to set up this trap and converting cabin rooms into cells. I sigh. What a cheap set up.

"Yes. You've heard the myths. What can kill a werewolf?"

"Silver."

"That's right. Silver kills the werewolf, but if _It_ dies, the person does too, unless... That's where you guys come in." He reaches into his pocket and throws a bottle of pills at me. I catch it. "Colloidal silver. For humans, the effect is questionable at best, but for a werewolf, it's poison. With a concentrated dose, she'd die, but in smaller doses, it can slowly kill the werewolf and leave the human part alive. When she transforms, so does her body. It's useless to put silver in her when she's human, and it's not like she's going to stay put and take these pills as a werewolf."

I connect the dots quickly. "So you fill us with silver and feed her our bodies. You're turning us into giant pills of werewolf poison."

"If it wasn't for the accident, everything could've gone smoothly. I was forced to improvise. It was easy enough to pump Hayner with silver. He needed painkillers. I mixed in a few extra pills here and there."Not only was he in charge of medicine, he also handled the food and water with Kairi.

"I always thought you were being awfully pushy about re-hydration."

He grins. "So you've noticed. Not that it'll do you good here. All the water we've been giving you contains silver."

"From the start, this entire trip was one insane ritual to cure Kairi. How do you even know if it'll work?"

"I know because it has to." That doesn't inspire much confidence. Kind of thin on the research, facts, and proof. "I'm on a strict timetable. It was a good thing we found you when we did, because you're the backup."

"The backup?"

"The dosages correspond with the phases of the moon. We needed four bodies for four nights. When the moon is at its brightest, you'll be the silver bullet that will save Kairi. Consider it an honor."

"If everything had gone to plan, would I even still be alive?"

"Doubtful."

"So you would've killed me like you did Olette."

"Olette?" His eyes narrow and his mouth grits in anger. "She wised up and killed herself before we could do anything. Roxas told us. You saw her corpse in the river, right? Dumb bitch dived right in. Serves her right for trying to escape. But don't worry about that. Tomorrow's a big day. Full moon and everything. Just relax in the meantime." If Hayner was the first victim, then the second should've been Olette, but instead, it probably became Naminé. Then tonight, it was Roxas. Tomorrow, it'll be me.

This is ridiculous. Horror really is the cure for stupidity. "And then what? You think you'll get your happily ever after? Just because she'll be cured—if it works at all—doesn't change the fact that she ate her own parents and friends. You think she can go on living knowing that?"

"It doesn't matter. I won't allow her to die."

With that ominous statement, he leaves the room and I hear a series of locks and chains from the other side. Trapped and with no way out. Great. I stare out the tiny window and ponder my escape. My head won't even fit—much less my body.

The bed has a metal frame and it's screwed down to the floor. I examine the shackles on my ankle. Seriously. Where the hell did Riku get this? Do they sell these over the counter or something? I tug on the chain. Solid metal. I get off the bed and hug the floor, stretching my body as far as possible. Nothing useful at arm's length. I remove the rugs and desperately search for anything that can help me. It's probably too much to ask for bolt cutters and a blowtorch.

I lay on the floor, my foot dangling from the post and my eyes stuck on the ceiling. I should've seen this coming. All the clues were there. Some of you guys already figured it out, but I was too damn busy running from bears to notice. Kairi being unhurt wasn't plot armor, that was werewolf superhuman strength. And Riku taking charge of all the food, water, and medicine? That should've set off alarm bells in my head. The bear was just a red herring—a frightening, massive, man-eating red herring, but a red herring nonetheless. I let out a pathetic laugh. I should've killed them when I had the chance.

But the biggest hint of all should've been the silver chain around my neck. This crown necklace was the first thing I noticed when I woke up. I'm certain this is the final weapon. How the hell am I supposed to use it though? Spin it around and throw it at her? Even if werewolves are weak to silver, she'll probably bite my head off before I can do anything.

It looks like my only chance is to reason with Kairi. She doesn't like this situation any more than I do, judging from her guilty morose looks. Riku's the one responsible. Think about it. If your first thought is to hatch a convoluted plan to drip feed silver through the sacrifice of four friends in accordance to moon phases when your girlfriend-now-werewolf asks you to kill her because she traumatically ate her parents, then you'll probably come off as a villain ten times out of ten—unless you're one of those weirdos who finds that's _romantic_. I pray that I had the foresight to put in some sort of contrived scenario that allows me to escape from this equally as contrived conundrum.

Plot gods, do your thing.

Please?


	12. End 2

**END 2**

Riku sits out of reach.

He's upside down since I'm lying on the floor looking up. I can see his shoes. They're caked in mud and blood. This is the third time he has come in. The previous two times, he didn't say anything. Didn't stop me from cussing him out though.

"I hope you won't hold it against me." The asshole finally opens up and just as I expected, only shit comes out.

"Why? Because you're feeding me to your werewolf girlfriend? Nothing wrong with that."

He shakes his head sadly. Can't believe he has the gall to look disappointed with this situation. "You don't understand, Sora."

"Why don't you enlighten me then?"

"How long have we known each other?"

"I don't know." It's a rhetorical question but I really don't know the answer. "Three days?"

He chuckles, not out of amusement, but out of resignation. "You were always there for me when things got tough. I admired that strength. To be honest, I envy you. How can you be so strong, I wondered? Then the answer came to me: it's because you've never experienced it—loss. You had everything: loving parents, friends, and her—Kairi."

"Isn't she _your_ girlfriend?"

"On the surface, yes, but she won't truly be mine until you're gone."

I can't lie. I've been picking up vibes from her since this whole thing started. "Does she like me or something?"

His foot stomps down inches from my face. I close my eyes as dirt particles assault me. "Don't _fuck_ with me."

I open my eyes and answer his glare defiantly. "As far as I know, I haven't done anything."

"I'm not blind. I can see it, the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. The most frustrating part is because I know—I understand why she does. We're similar, she and I. We both lost our parents. That's why we were attracted to you. You had everything we lost. It's why she fell in love with you, and it's why I despise you."

"Couldn't we have hashed this out in therapy?"

"Shut up. You don't know anything." He drags his foot across the floor returning to his seat, leaving a trail of dirt and blood. "I never told anyone this but my father didn't die in an accident. I killed him."

I think I've heard this one before. "Did daddy get drunk and beat you every day?"

"Fuck you. It wasn't just me, he hit mother too. I had to stop him. It was only a matter of time before he'd kill himself anyways. I just gave him a little push."

"You must be so proud of yourself."

He continues despite my goading. "But after I got rid of him, mother abandoned me. She committed suicide. She would rather follow that asshole to hell than stay by my side, the one who needed her the most."

"It might because you're a raving lunatic. Just throwin' it out there."

"Shut up! I didn't deserve any of this. I wanted someone to understand, to truly feel my pain. That's when I found her, Kairi. She was so beautiful. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Anyone would fall for her. She captured my heart in an instant. That was why I had to do it. That's why I killed them. I killed them so that she could understand."

"Are you saying you killed her parents? I thought she ate them?"

"She's adopted. I killed her real mother and father. I made it look like an accident." I was wondering how he could hatch a plan to kill us all so easily. This explains it. This guy's been unhinged since day one. "Despite sharing the same pain of loss, she still chose you. I won't forgive you for that."

"Well excuse me for leading a happy life."

He bursts out laughing. "She'll finally understand once she consumes the one she loves most. I'll be the only one there for her when everything is over." He leaves the room and the door clicks quietly, followed by a series of locking mechanisms. It's cold in here.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for him? That clears up his motivations but… He's still a dick. Tons of people out there have it rough, but they don't turn into murderers. No matter how bad your past, that's no excuse to incur more pain and misery. This Sora was too dumb to realize that Riku, his longtime friend, was actually a psychopath. Why am I such a moron? I guess that's why psychos are scary. You never see them coming until it's too late.

As I lay on the floor helplessly, I realize one of the tenets of horror: no matter how strong or smart I am, I will never have control. The world dictates everything. It's why you can't punch ghosts or demons, or fend off an invasion of aliens or an outbreak of zombies by yourself. Horror is about a loss of control. Everything bad will happen and I am powerless to stop it. Even if I manage to somehow overcome the whims of this world and empower myself momentarily, it will all be undermined by a nonsensical twist ending anyways. All that work for nothing, like sand castles in the tides.

I thought of reasoning with Kairi but Riku runs a tight ship. He's purposefully keeping her away from me. I don't see a way out. I tried everything with the shackle. It won't come undone. I look to the side and spot a tray of food, no doubt laced with colloidal silver. I'd thought to refuse it on principle but since silver has questionable effects on humans at worst, I'll just eat the damn thing. Better than starving to death.

As I munch on my sandwich, I hear something clink against the window. I get off the floor and look outside.

**OH MY GOD! **

Olette's bloody visage is pressed against the glass. A zombie—no, a ghost? What other horrors do these woods contain? "Be gone, foul abomination! I don't have time for your ghastly shenanigans!"

"I'm alive, you idiot!" Holy shit. She can talk. That rules out being a zombie…almost. Could be a breed of intelligent talking zombies.

"Then why are you covered in blood?"

"I… I got hungry."

"The spirit of Christ compels you!"

"Shut up! It was the bear. I found it and…" Her head dips. "I had to eat it to survive..."

"You found the bear?"

"It was already dead. I was so hungry that I…"

"Dug in."

She grimaces. "It was torn apart. What could do something like that?"

Something like a werewolf? Wait. So that's what happened! Now I get it. The bear wasn't chasing us. It was running _with_ us. Since Olette was no longer there, Kairi had to feast on _something_.

"I'm not sure what happened, but next to the bear's corpse was Naminé. She was...the same as Hayner."

"How'd you know it was her? Last time I checked, Hayner had turned into spaghettiOs."

She doesn't appreciate my flippancy. Join the party. Riku doesn't either. Which is why it's so fun to poke and prod him. I'll probably regret it later. "Because I picked up her phone. I used the GPS to get here. It ran out of batteries on the way over though. I thought I was saved until I heard someone screaming." Her face scrunches in distaste. "It sounded awful. I thought I should check the cabin first."

"Smart move." I get off the floor and climb onto the bed. I check to see if she's the real deal. She buckles under my intense scrutiny as color floods her cheeks.

"What are you doing?"

"You're really alive," I conclude incredulously.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

What an oversight. Nobody is truly dead unless you can poke them in the eye with a stick. We all assumed she was dead because none of us were dumb enough to dive into the river to find out for sure. Jokes on me. I jumped into the river anyways.

"How'd you even survive?"

"Luck, I guess." No such thing as luck. Only contrivance. "What's going on? Who was screaming?"

"First things first, you've gotta get me outta here. Riku and Kairi have gone crazy and Roxas is dead."

Her eyes widen in terror. "Riku and Kairi?"

"That's right. You escaped them earlier. What the hell happened?"

"I… I'm not sure. I think they drugged me. When I woke up. I was tied to a tree. I assumed they left me behind for the bear but… It didn't look like a bear to me. Then a real bear _did_ show up. Somehow, the ropes got loose and I made a run for it."

"And you jumped into the river. Damn. Not every day a man-eating bear saves you from a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" Her brow furrows skeptically.

"Oh yeah. This sounds crazy but Kairi's actually a werewolf, and this entire trip has been Riku's plan to feed us to her as part of a ritual to cure her of being one."

"_What_?"

"Take a look for yourself." I back away from the window so she can see my shackled ankle. "They're keeping me here."

She grips her head fearfully. "So it really was… I thought I was going crazy. Then from the start—those crazy bastards!"

"Hey, keep it down. Don't let them know you're here."

She takes a deep breath. "What can we do?"

"Like I said earlier, I gotta get this shackle off. What's the area around here like?"

"There are some other cabins but they're empty."

"Then we're all alone out here. Okay, here's the deal. They plan on sacrificing me tomorrow night. It'll be a full moon. That's less than twenty four hours. You gotta call the cops or somebody to come up here. Next, you gotta find a tool. Look around for a shed or something. I need bolt cutters or anything that can cut a chain."

"Got it."

"Most importantly, don't get found. Riku's totally lost it and this isn't the first time he's killed someone. If he sees you, you're a goner. And Kairi's a freakin' werewolf so you should probably avoid her too. If worse comes to worst, just save yourself."

She shakes her head vehemently. "No. I won't run away again. I'll save you. Definitely." She looks over her shoulder. "It's still dark out here. I can move around freely. I'll be back soon."

"Be careful." She disappears into the darkness.

The plot gods have answered my prayers. That river is really bad at killing people. I'm not complaining. It saved both me and Olette. I fall back on the bed and try to think of the next step but my head is groggy. I feel tired all of a sudden. Crap, don't tell me… I look at the half-eaten sandwich on the tray. Bastards drugged me…

Pitch black.

Sudden light.

I open my eyes.

It's the sun. This isn't good. It's already tomorrow. Late afternoon too. What the hell happened with Olette?

"Rise and shine, Sora." I turn around to see Riku. In his hands is a rifle. Worse has officially gone to worst. Bastard probably pumped me full of silver in my sleep.

"Going hunting?"

"I will be. As soon as you tell me who it is."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He sticks the barrel against my cheek. "Do you really want to play games with me right now?"

I should stop poking the fire before I get burned—or worse, get my head blown off. "How'd you find out?"

"I found footsteps outside. They lead to and away from your window. Tell me. Who was it?"

No use drawing this out. "It's Olette."

He presses harder. "Don't lie to me. She's dead."

"Nobody's dead unless you find their corpse."

He probes my face for any signs of falsehood. "Fine. I'll believe you. I'll find out eventually. It's been awhile since I had a good hunt." He walks out the door, bouncing the gun on his shoulder. Jeez, make up your mind. Do you hunt people in your spare time or are you legitimately making an effort to cure your girlfriend? He's becoming a sloppy soup of psychopathic tropes now.

Everything's up to Olette. I get the feeling that the next time I see her, she'll be dead. It's just that kind of story. Horror giveth, but mostly taketh. It's only when all hope is dashed that despair can truly take hold.

I lie in bed, lamenting for what seems like an eternity. The moon is unexpectedly clear during the day. Only a few short hours before night descends. I trace the sun's slow arc towards the horizon. The light is fading and sky grows darker.

If this story wasn't in first-person, would there be a scene right now with Riku and Olette in a game of cat-and-mouse? I have no idea what's going on out there. If I'm lucky, she manages to sneak up behind him and bashes his brains out with a giant rock. Then she'll bust in here, shoot the chain with the rifle, and we'll run off into the sunset. Scratch that. We'll run off into the moonlight. Evening has already arrived.

I thought about different methods of removing the chain but all of them are painful. It's only the knowledge that I'm in a story that prevents me from resorting to the very last of resorts, such as gnawing my foot off. It's not like I'm being tortured. I can wait around and pray for miracles a little while longer. Then again, that miracle might be getting killed by Riku right now.

The door opens. Has he returned? No, it's Kairi. She looks bad. Heavy bags and shadows cling to her face. She takes a seat in the same chair that resides within mocking distance.

"Sora."

This is my chance. I'll leverage her feelings for me to my advantage. I sit up on the edge of the bed and face her directly. "Is it true that you love me?" She stares at the floor silently. "Look at me."

She's hesitant to meet my eyes, but when they do, they're drenched. "It's true."

That's weird. Even though I've only known her for three days, a part of me reacts strongly to her confession. It's a feeling from this world's Sora, and I can feel him overtaking my good sense. The tears come streaming out against my will. In the warmth of her declaration is also cold despair. So this is how it feels—loss. Congratulations, Riku. I think I understand you a little bit. This is, indeed, a shitty feeling. My body aches for her. I want to touch her, to hug her, to caress her, to protect her—but I can't. Not in these circumstances. Emotion and logic conflict. My heart beats painfully and my knuckles go white as I clutch the sheets. The sensation is unbearable.

"Goddamnit." I push the feeling down and refocus my mind, but the words leak out effortlessly, "I love you too."

The words wreck her, leaving no trace of stability, and she falls apart, sobbing loudly, tears for a future that can never be. "I never wanted this."

This isn't natural. It's easy to make fun of how stupid people act when they're in love, but when you're in love yourself, stupid feels stupidly good. "I know. It's all because of Riku. It's not too late, Kairi. Get these shackles off me. Let me escape."

She doesn't hear me; her eyes are glazed over. "I can still remember it. Every detail. How they screamed for their lives, how they felt in my hands as I tore them to pieces, how they _tasted_..."

"It wasn't you. It was the monster."

"That's what I thought at first but... It _is_ me. I can't help but remember the feeling. It was...amazing. I know it's wrong but I _relished_ it. It felt _good_. I can't stop myself anymore. I'm losing my mind. You're the only one left who still sees me as me. I never wanted you to know. That's why… Before it's too late, you have to be the one—you have to be the one to kill me, Sora. Do you understand?"

I nod dumbly. Every fiber of my being fights against her inevitable conclusion. My body refuses to budge as she ambles over to my foot, takes out a key, and unlocks the shackle. She hands me a knife. It shatters my self-imposed paralysis and I almost drop it. She stands before me and leans over, hugging my head, and offers a clear view of her chest.

"Do it," she whispers. "Right here." She points to her heart.

I grip the knife tightly but tremble. Knowing that I have to kill and actually doing it are two different things. This is a warm flesh and blood person in front of me. Not only that, but she loves me. Can I really do this? Can I kill another person? It's understandable to be afraid of being murdered, but an unusual fear has taken hold. I'm afraid. I'm afraid to lose her.

"Riku killed your parents," I reveal.

"I know."

If she knew, then… "Why are you still with him?"

"To protect you."

I wish I hadn't asked. How am I supposed to kill her after hearing that? Lives of fucking tragedy intertwined in despair. These aren't my emotions, damn it! This isn't me. It's Sora's, the Sora of this twisted, fucked up world. Just get me out of here already.

The door slams open. I can't see who it is because of Kairi.

"Let him go." Not the voice I wanted to hear. I guess it would've been anticlimactic if Riku died off-screen.

"Is she dead?" I ask, referring to Olette.

"Shut up," Riku says. "Let him go, Kairi. It's time."

"I won't." She holds me tighter. "_Kill me now._"

A loud bang fills the air and the window behind me shatters. He still has his rifle. Killing her now will only guarantee my death. "You know I can't."

"You have to," she urges. "I can feel it. You have to do it now or else—"

"LET HIM GO!" Riku runs up to us and smacks her in the face with the butt of his rifle. Like father like son. Her hands go slack from the pain and she lets go. In that moment, I shove the knife into his stomach. "AAARGGGHHH." I taste the rifle's stock and spill over to the floor. Shit. I think I lost a tooth. Blood specks litter the ground in front of me. I'm guessing this metallic taste is more silver than iron.

"NO, DON'T!" she screams.

A shot goes off and a hole materializes next to my hand. That's way too close! Kairi must've altered the shot. I get up and make a move for the rifle. We struggle for control but he's too strong. I can't take it from him. Kairi grabs him from behind and the rifle goes flying across the room. I run for it but a hand grabs my foot. I trip and hit my chin, accidentally biting my lip. Riku deliberately steps on my back as he goes for the gun. The pain immobilizes me, giving him enough time to pick it up.

That's when it comes to me, that flash of inspiration. I take off my necklace and rush him from behind. I put the necklace over his head and drag the chain against his neck. Since he's holding the rifle, he can't bring his hands up in time. I pull back with two tightly wound fists, squeezing the life out of his throat, the links digging deep into his skin. He writhes violently in my grasp as the rifle clatters to the floor. I ignore his thrashing and grit my teeth when his elbows strike me. I bring up my knee and press it against his back for more leverage. What is it with psychos and their utter refusal to die? He's got a knife sticking out of his gut for god's sake! How does he have so much fight in him? He gets a lucky hit on my stomach and I let go on reflex. He takes advantage and spins around, knocking me to the floor.

This is bad—understatement of the chapter. He extracts the knife from his stomach and blood gushes out. He clamps it with his free hand. "I'm going to kill you."

The room shakes from a deafening and terrible howl. We freeze, the blood in our bodies curdling in fright. Our eyes dart to the source and there she stands in her monstrous glory, a hulking, hairy, creature whose ears touch the ceiling with incredible height. Her body is ripped with loose patches of skin, fur, and veiny muscles. Most striking are her glowing amber eyes, like two moons on a grotesque masque of death. No longer human. Just a monster.

"K-Kairi..." Riku says. Before I can blink, half of his face disappears. Thin lines of red drip from her claws. I hear a sick thud on the floor. It's Riku's face—the top half.

I don't dwell on the sight. I jump for the door and shut it behind me, closing up every lock and latch I can find. On the other side, I hear a symphony of flesh—the moist noise of skin peeling and meat being ripped from the bone with blood spraying the walls like drizzle on a window pane. Poor bastard got slaughtered instantly.

I lean on the door, drawing deep breaths. My heartbeat seems to slow in concert with the sounds inside. It's becoming calm. Blood leaks out from underneath the door. I step back, leaving bloody footprints in my wake. I hear something hit the door.

"_Sora...?_"

"Kairi?"

"_I... I'm back to normal._"

"How is that possible?" Then it hits me—the silver bullet. Riku was eaten up along with my necklace. Talk about irony. Consider it an honor, asshole. "Then the ritual worked? How do you feel?"

"_Before, I always felt it, the monster. I could feel its instinct and hunger, begging me to kill, but... It's gone now._"

"Kairi..."

"_I'll understand if you don't open the door. The things I've done are unforgivable. I'll go ahead and kill myself_."

"Don't." I slam my fist against the wall. "Not when I've finally got you back."

"_But... How can I forget?_"

"You don't. They didn't die so you can kill yourself. You have to take responsibility for the lives you've taken. It's not your fault. Nobody could've predicted this crazy situation. Don't blame yourself. I'm here for you, Kairi. I love you. No matter what you've done, I can't change how I feel about you."

"_Sora... Thank you_."

Before I know it, I'm unlocking the door. A strange happiness wells up inside me. That's the last lock. I swing the door open and expect the worst. I'm breathless. There she is...naked, beautiful, and most importantly, human. Never mind the blood that's covering her. Our eyes meet and relief washes over us. A smile invites itself on my lips. The nightmare is finally over.

**BANG!**

I blink in confusion as Kairi looks down at the hole that's been made in her chest. She gives me one last haunting smile before she collapses in a heap. Nothing comes out of my mouth. My scream is stifled by disbelief. Did that... Did that really just happen? Her body lies there, limp in a growing pool of blood. My eyes are drawn to the window where I spot a smoking barrel.

"Looks like I got here in time. Are you okay, Sora?" It's Olette. And she just killed Kairi. Shot her straight through the heart. I almost forgot what kind of this story this was. I feel numb.

"Yeah. I'm alright," I say monotonously. I want to cry but I can't. An indefinable emotion shakes my core. Tendrils of this new cold feeling seep through my vessels.

"You wouldn't believe what happened to me. I tried to call the police but all the lines were dead. I tried to get back to you last night but you were asleep. I couldn't wake you up."

"That's because..." My eyes fall on the rifle by Riku's scattered remains. "I was drugged."

"I see. I couldn't find any tools, but I did find this gun in one of the cabins. It was loaded too. It really helped me out when Riku tried to hunt me down. Once evening came, he ran off. I figured he came back."

I approach the rifle and kneel down. It's still wet with Riku's blood. "You were right."

"I found a car by one of the cabins. We can use it to escape."

I can see the ending. That's the thing about horror. Even when I know everything that's going to happen, I can't prevent it from happening. Logically, there's no reason to do what I'm about to do, but this world's Sora is overcome with overwhelming grief and pure rage. You can't reason with anguish. When I'm so close to happiness, to have it snatched away so cruelly at the last second is the greatest tragedy I can suffer. I succumb and submit to this pain and misery. I understand, Riku. I look at his half-torn face on the floor and he stares back, his eyes glistening with vindication. I go through the motions of cocking the rifle and aim it towards the window.

"Sora? What are you doing?" She smiles. She thinks I'm joking. "Let's get out of here already."

"I will. After I end this story."

**BANG!**

**...**

If you haven't figure it out yet, you need to improve your reading comprehension. Since I'm so nice, I'll tell you what just happened: I blasted her brains out. Why? Because this is a goddamned horror story. Now I'm going to kill myself next. Why? Because I already told you. Pay attention now.

**BANG!**

**...**

Just kidding. I put another one between Riku's eyes because, you know, fuck that guy.

To recap, I am on the only one alive. Actually, this ending has already changed five times but you wouldn't know that unless you reread this chapter, but who's dumb enough to read something they've already read once? Certainly not you, great reader. Don't worry. Because this is most definitely, without a doubt...

**THE END**


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